C.J. Watson, Dewayne Dedmon step up to new roles

The Orlando Magic were without two starters and relied on C.J. Watson and Dewayne Dedmon to fill in. They played their roles and helped deliver a win.

Any team can get a little desperate down two starters. Then again, any team can get a little desperate when they have struggled the way the Orlando Magic have. Going down key players can certainly sap a team’s energy.

Or it can sharpen their focus. Opportunity has a way of doing that, at least in the short term until it becomes normal.

It is still unclear how long Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton will be out. Both missed Friday’s 107-100 win over the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena. And it is still very clear how important both players are for the Magic moving forward. They are very talented and relatively consistent players for the team.

Needing a win to save something from this West Coast road trip, the road seemed all the more tougher without those two. Whether or not the Magic would pull together would be reliant on whether they could get anything from their replacements.

DeMarcus Cousins missing the game helped, but the Magic did get that boost from Dewayne Dedmon and C.J. Watson, starting for Vucevic and Payton.

Individually, Dedmon scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds while Watson had 10 points and five assists. Those numbers will not jump off the page at anyone. They will not replace what Vucevic and Payton can provide individually. The Magic needed other players to step up — Aaron Gordon continued his scoring tear, Victor Oladipo kept his up and Evan Fournier won his matchup with Rudy Gay. Bu the boost from those two, particularly early was critical.

The Magic opened the game with the first 12 points of the game. They played with energy and deflected passes. It was the best defensive play the Magic have had in some time. It was not necessarily because of Dedmon and Watson, but the change in energy was noticeable.

The urgency and focus were up. They had to be without Vucevic and Payton in the lineup.

With Watson and Dedmon in the lineup, the Magic posted a 102.1 offensive rating and an 87.6 defensive rating. Essentially, the Magic won the game with their starting lineup. That group dominated early and helped hold the Kings off in the end.

This was a Magic team playing well and at one of its best games in a while.

It was fairly uncertain they would do this. The team as a whole has struggled on the defensive end lately. Effort has been a question mark at times. A bigger key for the Magic was bringing the right energy and effort. Watson and Dedmon’s infusion to the lineup certainly helped.

Dedmon has the potential to be a better defender than Vucevic. He has athleticism to hedge on pick and rolls and track back to his man. He has struggled to get that directed in the right spot for his team.

Friday night, Dedmon played confidently and was flying around the paint, helping change shots and keep players out of the paint.

He was not perfect. And consistency will remain an issue. But Dedmon played his role well.

The same could be said for Watson. Scott Skiles has always said Watson has a calming effect on the team. He just makes “professional plays.” Perhaps not stirring the drink enough to be a starter, Watson is more than capable of setting a pace and getting the Magic into their offense.

This was evident early. He was good at getting the Magic into the offense quickly and keeping the ball moving.

Of course, it waxed and waned. The Magic did not hold their double digit lead throughout the entire game. The Kings came back and took a few brief leads. Orlando held Sacramento off in the end.

And the efforts from the other key players on the Magic helped spark the team to victory.

Winning the game was less about who replaced those that were missing but how the team stepped up together.

Undoubtedly though getting some big performances and some stability in their absences was key to the Magic securing a victory.

The question now is can they do it again? Will the absences be momentary? If the two have to play again can they contribute again?

Those are big questions. And in the long run the Magic will miss Vucevic and Payton more often than not. For one game, it all worked. Orlando got the players and energy the team needed to step up and win.