Where Does Victor Oladipo rank among All-Time Orlando Magic Sixth Men?

Victor Oladipo is demonstrating in short time that he may become one of the Orlando Magic’s best sixth men in team history.

It is still (very) early into Victor Oladipo’s move to the bench and it certainly may not be something permanent for the third-year guard. But he has shined brilliantly since Scott Skiles made the decision to make him the Orlando Magic’s sixth man.

While ranking him high in all-time rankings seems a bit premature given he has served this role for just seven games, there is the thought of projecting his play over the course of a full season.

And that is what we have done here, imagined where Oladipo might end up if he keeps up his high level of play in his current role.

The Magic led the Los Angeles Clippers on the strength of Oladipo’s play, and it was evident when he banged knees with Jamal Crawford that Orlando was in deep trouble.

Moreover, there is a dictum that it is “not who starts games but who finishes them.”

These sixth men often did play the crunch-time minutes, and that is not unusual. Many feel moving to the bench is a demotion of sorts, but that is pretty far from the truth.

The Sixth Man award is not about picking the best bench player in the league, really, it is more about picking a game changer whose team found it best to bring a change-of-pace talent in off the bench.

Be it a 3-point gunner or a pure energy player, the Magic have consistently found good sixth men, and the best coaches know the value of having a major talent in the second unit.  It is a luxury not all teams are afforded, but the best teams typically have a guy who can come in and do major damage.

Next: The Penny deal's 'throw-in'