Orlando Magic Season Review 2016

The power forward situation

One of the key questions that the Magic had entering the season revolved around the power forward position.

Aaron Gordon was eventually going to take over the power forward position at some point it was a matter of when as he developed. Tobias Harris was in the power forward spot to begin the year and so the Magic would have to figure out what to do with him at some point. And this does not even get into the Andrew Nicholson question or Jason Smith or whoever else.

Both those came to a head this season and it found some resolution.

First, Gordon clearly pushed his way into the starting lineup. It had the Magic looking to make changes elsewhere in the lineup to fit everyone in. Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier took turns coming off the bench.

By the end of the season, Gordon was the man for the Magic. Perhaps the most untouchable player on the roster. He set the world on fire at the Slam Dunk Contest, and he is legitimately good. His emergence was one of the biggest positives, as Brett Roberts wrote:

"He may be Orlando’s most untouchable player, given the disparity between his actual value and just how good he really can be. There was initially some question as to whether he would be a 3 or a 4, but that matter seems mostly settled. Gordon thrives as a power forward using his speed and activity to disrupt a defense. He was a threat on the offensive boards, and he creates second-chance looks for the Magic."

That, of course, meant Harris had to get pushed out. Eventually the Magic had to look to move him.

At the trade deadline, Orlando moved Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova. It was a deal advertised to give the Magic some depth and rotation stability, allowing Gordon and Fournier and Oladipo all to play out of the starting lineup. It also had major cap implications.

But it did not work out that way at all. The trade fell short and the Magic never took a step forward. Its only saving grace is that potential cap room.

As Dar-Wei Chen wrote, the deal fell flat in every aspect, failing even to bring in the long-term assets teams would like:

"If the Magic are trying to make major deals this summer for other teams’ disgruntled stars, it would be nice to have Harris as an asset to dangle for those teams that would presumably be trying to rebuild after dealing their star. And deals similar to the Jennings/Ilyasova one probably would have been available at that time too if the Magic needed to clear cap space then or a little ways down the road. Harris, although far from perfect, was a good asset for the Magic. He is young (23 years old), has many of the tools a team is looking for in a modern forward who can play both spots, has a manageable contract that declines in cash commitment for its last two years, and by all accounts is a great person to be around (hard-working, team co-captain, and a leader in giving back to the community). Even though his scoring was down this year, he was proving himself very capable of contributing in other ways within the Magic offense and defense. Perhaps that was not enough to get him a more featured role and had him cast to the wayside."

The power forward question got answered though. Gordon is firmly entrenched as the power forward and much is going to be expected of him holding down that position long term.

Next: Shooters