Orlando Magic’s Top 5 Trios
5. Prediction: Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris
The past three years have been the darkest era of Magic basketball since before O’Neal was drafted. The Magic have not had more than 25 wins since Dwight Howard forced his way out of town.
However, the Magic look like they are on track to become relevant again, and that is thanks to a general manager willing to take risks and build a strong core of young talent.
Guards Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton seemed primed to act as the leaders of this up-and-coming team for years to come.
Payton had a solid season, specifically in ways that do not necessarily show up in the box score.
He finished in the top half of NBA point guards in real plus/minus, which measures a player’s impact on a team and factors in teammates and opponents. He was also eighth out of all point guards in wins above replacement.
He will look to improve on certain aspects of his game, such as shooting ability and confidence, and may be the Magic’s most improved player next season.
Oladipo was drafted to be a key player for this team, and he has been very solid. He may grow into a serious star this season if he continues to improve.
There were a few options in my mind for the third member of this trio.
Nikola Vucevic received an extension last summer that seems like a steal now. He has been the team’s leading scorer and rebounder the past two seasons, and is a large part of the team.
Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja are two high potential players the Magic picked in the top five of the past two drafts. They may grow into star players in the future.
When I think of the third part of this trio, I choose Tobias Harris. He has been with the team since February 2013, and has been a consistent scorer for them.
He appears to have great chemistry with Oladipo and Payton, and works extremely hard on his game.
He knows what he has to fix (specifically perimeter defense and decision making). He has the ability to create offense, even more so than any other player on the team right now. He also has the ability to take high efficiency shots for the team if he and coach Scott Skiles decide that is what they want to do.
Harris is currently the highest paid player on the Magic, and the organization clearly feels he will be a key to whether the team fully reaches its potential and exits its dark era this season.
These three players seem primed to lead the Magic out of this dark era, and if they are successful, their importance to the franchise will be forever cherished.
Next: The post-Shaq era