Fun With Lineups: The 2014 Orlando Magic
Feb 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Evan Fournier (94) shoots the ball during the first half against the Sacramento Kings at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Lineup #3 Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Tobias Harris, Channing Frye, Kyle O’Quinn
“Size matters.”
This lineup consists of players measuring at 6-foot-4, 6-foot-6, 6-foot-8, 6-foot-10, and 6-foot-10, while maintaining some defense on both levels. We talked about the combinations of Oladipo-Fournier and Frye-O’Quinn, but Tobias Harris offers a different wrinkle to it. He’s arguably Orlando’s best offensive player right now, finishing with 14.6 points on 46% shooting. Along with offensive talents, Harris offers a different brand of power basketball. He doesn’t space the floor well, but he offers the ability to draw a mismatch. Harris is simply too strong and powerful for most small forwards, and too agile for most power forwards.
But Harris comes with his own list of faults. Going into his fourth season in the NBA and Harris has no long-range shooting to speak of. His rather large frame also makes him a bit of a tweener on defense. With this lineup, Harris is covered on both ends. Oladipo and Fournier will be able to cover him on the perimeter with their long limbs and ability to create turnovers. In the post, Frye is a solid, yet unspectacular post defender, and O’Quinn is a fine rim protector. All in all, Harris gets to show off his best attributes, while covering his faults.