Grading the Orlando Magic in FIBA play

All the pre-training camp basketball is done after Spain won Eurobasket. How do we grade out the Orlando Magic players who participated in FIBA touranments?

Eurobasket and FIBA competitions ended Sunday with Spain taking home their third gold medal and celebrating with a 80-63 win over Lithuania. There was much celebration and revelry after Spain’s win.

Now the real world sets in. Seasons around the world are going to start soon. The NBA begins essentially this weekend with training camps starting to open. The Orlando Magic will have media day on Friday with training camp opening on Saturday.

The players — except for Evan Fournier and maybe even Mario Hezonja — are already in town getting ready for what is coming.

Since Summer League, the only chance we have had to watch any of the players on the Magic has been on the courts of these FIBA tournaments. These tournaments tell us only very little. Like Summer League, it is a different level of competition and it is a different style of game. The stats do not translate perfectly. Neither do team roles.

What was important, like in Summer League, is that players look like they hold their own. It is a bad sign if they do not look like they belong on the floor with the other players on the court.

For the Magic’s four players at these tournaments, that thankfully was not the case. All four contributed to their teams.

So what notes can we take? Let’s take each player in turn.

Next: Evan Fournier