Where does Nikola Vucevic rank among All-Time Magic Centers?

10. Stanley Roberts

Stanley Roberts played a big role in the 13-game turnaround that the Orlando Magic orchestrated from its first to its second NBA season, and the big man from LSU had a great season with Orlando before being shipped off to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Roberts struggled with his weight his entire career, but had played his way into very good game shape and was making dominant plays, drawing double teams and looking like a legitimate NBA center for the much improved Magic.  Roberts commanded occasional double teams and began to give Magic fans a glimpse of what it might be like if the team had a dominant 5-man.

Roberts wasn’t fluid, fast, nor a work of immense beauty in the post—but he was good—teams had to get the ball out of Roberts’ hands.  He had 17 straight games with 10 or more points, while scoring over 20 points five times.  No Magic center had displayed such play in the post prior to Roberts, as the likes of Dave Corzine, Greg Kite and Marc Acres all failed to attract any defensive attention when they caught the ball.

In 55 games his rookie season, he averaged 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor. Roberts would maintain those figures in his second season as a Clipper but his career declined thereafter and he played just 11 games past age 27.

His start with Orlando was a lot brighter than the path that ultimately resulted, but that is where this show begins.

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