Retrospective: Where Does Tobias Harris Rank In All-Time Small Forwards?
Hedo Turkoglu is one case of Otis Smith having capitalized on talent scouting other franchises.
Turkoglu had started to emerge as part of a talent-saturated group in Sacramento, the same squad that suffered one of the most ignominious defeats in NBA playoff history. He spent on season in San Antonio following his three years in Sacramento, and then he was signed as a free agent in the summer of 2004.
Until reaching Orlando, Turkoglu had really only shown flashes of the talent he was to become. With the Magic he appeared in 67 games in 2005, and he increased his scoring average from nine points per game to 14.
He continued to improve and become a true “point-forward,” helping to augment the shoot-first mentality that Jameer Nelson often exhibited.
Turkoglu gave the Magic a secondary playmaker, and a true wild card given that he was difficult as a matchup for both small forwards and power forwards alike. Turkoglu had his finest season in 2008, when he averaged 19.5 points, five assists and five rebounds per game.
Somehow, he was left off the 2008 All-Star team, in a move that still makes little sense in light of how mediocre Paul Pierce was playing that season. Turk would go on to have another good year in the Magic’s 2009 Finals run and he was instrumental in helping provide the mismatches that resulted in upsetting LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
He is still trucking along in the NBA now at age 35 with the L.A. Clippers, but he has appeared in just 32 minutes this postseason.
Turk is now a shadow of the dynamic talent he was as a 6-foot-10 point forward, and his place as the most unique small forward in Magic history seems fairly safe. It may be debatable as to whether he was truly the best, but the Magic would not have been the amalgam of strange parts it was that enabled its success with Dwight Howard if not for Turkoglu.
Naturally, when he was replaced in essence with Vince Carter, the Magic lost the identity that he helped instill. The Magic were unable to catch lightning in a bottle again.