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Retrospective: Where does Victor Oladipo rank in Magic all-time shooting guards?

By Brett David Roberts

Mar 12, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets center J.J. Hickson (7) and forward Darrell Arthur (00) defend during the second half at Amway Center. Denver Nuggets defeated the Orlando Magic 120-112. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets center J.J. Hickson (7) and forward Darrell Arthur (00) defend during the second half at Amway Center. Denver Nuggets defeated the Orlando Magic 120-112. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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4. Vince Carter

It is somewhat bittersweet to come to Vince Carter as the fourth best shooting guard in Magic history. He was at the beginning of the end for the Magic’s championship runs.

The Magic did not actually get much better replacing Courtney Lee with Carter (the same 59 wins) and the Magic fell short of their championship aspirations, falling to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Carter played a somewhat critical role in that frustrating defeat.

What was most frustrating about Carter was that he could autopilot a game and still put up 25 points, leaving most to wonder what he would be doing if he played with some intensity and fire. But that largely became the story of his career. He was so good that he could put up numbers while barely breaking a sweat.

Carter has persisted in the NBA simply because he can put the ball in the bucket. It is no different than the ancient Dominique Wilkins doing it until age 39 (who also made a final pit stop in Orlando for 27 games before finally retiring).

Carter had his moments in Orlando, games where he looked like the prime Carter of his early Raptors years when he would take over games. But the Magic got Carter on the tail end of his prime, and his devolution as an NBA player was beginning to take hold, even accelerate.

At age 33, he averaged 16.6 points for the Magic while hitting 36 percent from three, but this is a guy who averaged 24 points or better in six NBA seasons and was the main star of a Playoff-caliber Nets team the year before. It stands to reason that after putting up 27 in his third NBA season, he had the talent to lead the league in scoring.

But that just never happened. And it certainly did not in Orlando, where he saw 30 minutes per game and made Magic fans wish Lee was still in the fold, wondering what could have been had Courtney continued to blossom in a more favorable system than the woeful New Jersey Nets team he became a part of.

While Carter may have been disappointing, he’s still better than all but three talents to play shooting guard in Orlando.

Next: #3--surprise!