The Orlando Magic will have a few different options late in games, but does it begin with Victor Oladipo or Tobias Harris in crunch time?
Late-game situations always seems to come down to the perimeter. In the final minutes it comes down to, “which guard with the ball in his hands can create the best scoring opportunity or put up a shot that can just leave the defense scratching their heads?”
In the past two seasons, the Magic have seen Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo hit big shots in key moments. Those two seem to be the players for the Magic to turn to.
Outside of the pair, Nikola Vucevic demands the ball in many late-game sets, adding a third player in this debate, but Vucevic is a different animal than Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris.
The Magic’s perimeter threats have different expectations and different roles in the offense than Vucevic, whose role is partially determined by what those same perimeter players do with the ball.
Oladipo seems superior to Harris as a creator, but Harris is better at creating his own shot. It is best to look at what makes each effective and it may even be that the Magic’s recipient of late-game touches is on a per-game basis of who is playing the best that night.
But that type of analysis falls short because in totality there will be a guy who steps up as the No. 1 option.
It is worth trying to discern which guy it will be, with Oladipo and Harris the runaway candidates for the role. Teams need clutch players, and both have shown glimpses of having the stuff it takes to be a closeout scorer.
The Magic need that. Orlando needs to be a team that can have confidence that when games go down to the wire it has the players capable of closing them out.
It is well worth exploring how Oladipo and Harris are best used within the offense, and we will begin with a simple deduction from Harris’ best basketball last season.
Next: Tobias' Best Served Role