Orlando Magic point guard C.J. Watson struggled to make shots during the preseason. Nobody is worried though as the veteran has proven himself ready.
Elfrid Payton‘s status for Wednesday’s home opener remains up in the air, although it is looking increasingly like Payton will suit up after he rejoined practice (non-contact) Sunday and practiced in full Monday, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
It seems Payton will be ready to start at point guard when the Magic start their season. The hamstring injury that slowed Payton down throughout training camp though provided a stark realization Elfrid Payton is probably not going to play all 82 games again.
That is a contingency every team has to prepare for, of course. And it is more than anything why the Magic brought C.J. Watson in and even to some extent acquired Shabazz Napier. The Magic wanted backcourt depth and a different variety of players.
Watson though was the big free agent acquisition. He was going to be a steady hand to lead the second unit, a group that has struggled for the Magic in recent years. Orlando’s bench had the third worst offensive rating in the league last year and the sixth worst net rating in the league last year.
Watson has spent his career as a steady hand. He has always been a backup point guard who could hit a shot and play decent defense. He is a career 38.3 percent 3-point shooter and has a career 4.7 victories over replacement player, according to Basketball-Reference.
Watson is coming off perhaps his best career season — 10.0 points per game and a 51.3 percent effective field goal percentage. And the Magic are simply hoping for a repeat of last year’s performance to give them a boost off the bench.
He struggled though offensively in eight preseason games. He averaged 5.0 points per game, but did so 26.3 percent shooting and 3-for-15 shooting from beyond the arc.
It was frustrating for Magic fans to see, particularly with Payton out with the sore hamstring, and with the promise for Watson to deliver some shooting to a team in desperate need of it.
But nobody seems worried.
“We’re not too worried about C.J.’s shooting or anything,” coach Scott Skiles said before Friday’s preseason finale. “We feel like he has shot the ball well in the NBA. I do understand for veteran player ssometimes, exhibition season, I think, is too long anyway. There can be some boredom that sets in. We’re confident when we start for real he is going to make shots. He has run the team well. His assist to turnover ratio and steals and stuff is good.”
With eight years in the NBA though, there is less concern about his shooting and whether it will come around. He has been a fairly consistent shooter throughout his career. What was most important is that he got into running the team and into the system Scott Skiles is running.
As the veteran, he had to set the tone and be a leader by example. Watson is not much of a talker — at least to the media — but his work ethic and the way he got to the NBA should serve as an example of the work it takes to stay in the league.
There was no greater symbol of that than Watson having his D-League jersey retired when Orlando visited Hidalgo, Texas, to play Houston.
Watson did a lot of other things well through the preseason. He did manage the team well, with 31 assists in six games (5.2 per game) and just 10 turnovers. Keeping those turnovers low certainly is a positive sign and the sign of a veteran who understands his role and can execute the team’s offense.
Should Payton miss time, Watson feels more than comfortable holding down the fort.
“I’m definitely comfortable holding the fort down until he gets back,” Watson said. “[I] definitely want to get everybody involved before I get myself involved. But I still want to be aggressive and be a threat out there. I haven’t made shots like I wanted to, but I know they will come. Just keep going at it and take it for what it’s worth.”
Watson has given the coaching staff no reason to believe his shot will not start falling when the games count this week. Watson himself missed time, dealing with food poisoning while the team was in Brazil and even missing some practice the last few days with an elbow and knee injury. He would have been able to play if there were a game, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The offense is still a work in progress for everyone, Watson included. As a veteran though, Watson knows how to get himself right and his individual game ready for Wednesday and the start of the season.
If there is one thing Skiles does not have to worry about — no matter how many minutes he has to ask of him — Watson will be ready to go.