Rotations by James Borrego Largely to Blame in Magic Loss to Washington
Final Notes:
Otto Porter‘s improvement
OMD faithful will remember speculation on Porter’s availability and talents. He did not look fantastic in 11 minutes of play, but did show some of the flashes that led to the conclusion there is a lot of untapped potential.
Porter’s line was mostly zeros, but that is what lends credence to the idea Rob Hennigan could snag Porter with Maurice Harkless. The change in scenery could benefit Porter, though tonight Harkless was far more effective. Small sample size theatre, as it’s dubbed.
Elfrid Payton’s Rookie of the Year consideration
Even if electing him over Andrew Wiggins is far fetched, Elfrid Payton should be in consideration for the award. Consider the Magic have had the second best rookie in back-to-back seasons. Surely eventually the drafting skills of Rob Hennigan trump his free agent flops.
Right now, getting great young talent is more important than debating the merits of Channing Frye, Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour — all of whom are on the roster to add veteran leadership and stability. Payton brings a lot more than his backup (Ridnour) and it is not really effective to have a pupil that needs no advice from his teacher. That is where keeping Jameer Nelson around made good sense.
James Borrego’s long-term future
This is definitely temporary, even if Borrego rides out the season. Considering both Jacque Vaughn and Borrego were San Antonio staff it’s a bit disappointing to see the lack of results with the Magic.