Fun With Lineups: The 2014 Orlando Magic
Lineup #2: Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Channing Frye, Kyle O’Quinn
“A small glimpse of the future.”
This lineup moves Oladipo to his more natural position of shooting guard, places Orlando’s backcourt of the future on the floor, and gives them fourth overall pick Aaron Gordon on the floor as well. The idea? Monster athleticism and defense. The trio of Payton, Oladipo, and Gordon all project as plus-level defenders, and Kyle O’Quinn is not a slouch either, allowing just 46.2 percent at the rim last season via NBA.com’s stats tool. Frye offers the solid defense, but gives the lineup a shooting dimension that it would lack with the Payton-Oladipo-Gordon trio.
The long-term hope for this lineup is that Oladipo and/or Gordon can develop into solid shooters. Frye is currently the only player in this lineup that would offer any spacing, and clogging the lane got the Magic nowhere the last few seasons. Moving Oladipo off the ball can help him in that endeavor, while Gordon seems to be a huge work-in-progress. He’ll have plenty of time to develop that shooting touch, thanks to the ability to defend multiple positions, contest for rebounds, and overall work as a pogo stick on the floor. Again, his shooting splits from Arizona — 27.5% on two-point jumpers, 42% from the free throw line — scare me, but he’ll be fine once he receives proper coaching. The shot will come, it’s just a matter of time.