Rotations by James Borrego Largely to Blame in Magic Loss to Washington

5) The bench still falls woefully short of decent.

Outside of Fournier and Harkless, the remainder of the Magic bench shot 4 of 13.

It is typically the case that one or two stand out, and, as of now, James Borrego is choosing to sit both Devyn Marble and Ben Gordon. Andrew Nicholson still gets no burn. It has to be wondered if using Harkless is just a matter of showcasing him for a trade or genuine interest in cultivating his talent. Maybe the two aren’t even mutually exclusive. Somebody had to play for the injured Tobias Harris.

Orlando gave up 46 points to the Wizards reserves, and while the Magic did manage 34. Eighteen of it came from Fournier, basically indicating he is necessary to bail out the reserves. That is too much pressure for Fournier or any one player on a rebuilding team.

Re-inserting Fournier into the starting lineup, however, is entirely impossible. Bringing Tobias Harris off the bench almost seems like the best solution to this, save the fact that he may be equally as vital towards the success of the starting five.

Dewayne Dedmon looked good, but it would be helpful if he could hit free throws. He is not strong enough to turn them all into three-point play opportunities. He also had the misfortune of being a part of a unit that featured Kyle O’Quinn, Elfrid Payton,  Willie Green, Fournier and Vucevic. With Vucevic being the only offensive threat on the floor, the Wizards were able to force the other four Magicians into laying up bricks.

Next: James Borrego needs to tighten rotation