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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 12: I can haz winning? Gess nawt

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 14, 2016; London, United Kingdom; The Orlando Magic mascot performs during the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Global Games at The O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Leo Mason-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2016; London, United Kingdom; The Orlando Magic mascot performs during the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Orlando Magic in the NBA Global Games at The O2 Arena. Mandatory Credit: Leo Mason-USA TODAY Sports /
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Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Dec 30, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) throws the ball as he falls to the court against the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Amway Center. Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic 109-86. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Stringing together more Victor Oladipo thoughts, the pairing with Elfrid Payton is the next big question when it comes to him and his future with the Magic.

Individually, Elfrid Payton is probably the most important player on the Magic. There are few players who can break players down and get the defense to suck into the paint enough to free up shooters. Payton drives without thinking of scoring and that is extremely dangerous. He shoots and scores enough to keep defenses honest and that opens space for everyone else.

Victor Oladipo has had his struggles. I answered those problems in some earlier questions in this mailbag. Essentially Olaidpo’s problems are that he has not added the efficiency to his offensive game that he needs to be truly effective. He is a player who has to finish well at the rim and get to the line and he does neither well. His 3-point shooting is a real weakness.

This season has raised some real questions about whether the Oladipo-Payton backcourt can work effectively though. When Oladipo is not making shots, it just collapses the pain and makes it really hard for anyone to operate, including Payton. And Payton certainly is not stretching out the defense.

That respect is not going to come overnight. Oladipo needed to come out strong hitting 3-pointers. He has to prove himself still as a shooter. You can see how much more effective he can be getting to the basket now that he is hitting his shot.

That is critical with Payton have his own shot problems.

It is hard to figure out exactly what their final fit will be right now. So it is not a time to give up. But the results in this year when they are supposed to be trying to win for the first time have not ben encouraging.

With Payton and Oladipo on the floor together, the Magic have a 97.5 offensive rating and 105.2 defensive rating in 574 minutes together. That is not very good. So there should be real questions about the long-term viability of this duo.

But figuring this out was part of the purpose of this season in many ways. Maybe the problem is someone else they are playing with. Looking at this lineup closely is a key examination for the rest of this season and offseason. It should play a role in the Evan Fournier decision and the direction this team moves in after the season.

Next: Aaron Gordon's role