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Orlando Magic Player Evaluations 2016

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Feb 28, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) celebrates with guard Elfrid Payton (4), guard Victor Oladipo (5) and guard Mario Hezonja (23) after he dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers during second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 130-116. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) celebrates with guard Elfrid Payton (4), guard Victor Oladipo (5) and guard Mario Hezonja (23) after he dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers during second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 130-116. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brandon Jennings, Orlando Magic
Mar 16, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Orlando Magic guard Brandon Jennings (55) shoots a three point shot in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

The trade

One moment has come to define the Orlando Magic’s offseason. It happened in February when the Orlando Magic traded Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.

It is a move that certainly still drums up controversy and debate.

What does seem clear is that the move itself was made to clear cap space. It was made so the Magic could become players in the upcoming free agency market. It was not necessarily made for the rest of the season.

There was certainly the hope that both Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova could provide some lineup stability and get the Magic over the top. That did not happen.

Both Jennings and Ilyasova were extremely inconsistent throughout their short stay in Orlando.

Jennings had his moments, but it was also clear he was still recovering from his Achilles injury. He did not have the same explosive scoring ability as before.

"It is hard to know what to really have expected from Brandon Jennings in the short time he was in Orlando. He was going to come in and provide some stability for a team that was struggling with a backup point guard. Especially with C.J. Watson’s continuing calf injury and Elfrid Payton‘s on-again, off-again injuries and inconsistent play. What it turned out with Jennings was that his offense was incredibly inconsistent."

We gave Jennings a ‘C+‘ for his time with the Magic. And his future seems uncertain.

Ersan Ilyasova, on the other hand, showed plenty of his own struggles.

Ilyasova definitely seemed a lot more disciplined and steady on defense. But his offensive contributions were not as big as expected. And he was very inconsistent on the floor, seemingly taking minutes from other players. He could contribute in subtle ways that veterans can, but he also had some big duds and got beat on several occasions.

He was a frustrating player to watch, even in his short time.

As Ryan Doyle wrote, up and down is the best way to describe his play:

"Up and down would be the best way to describe Ilyasova’s time with the Magic this season. Ilyasova would have a stretch of solid basketball in him, and then disappear for a few games. This may have been due to the fluctuations in his minutes due to Aaron Gordon’s strong play in the second half of the season."

We gave Ilyasova a ‘C‘ for his short tenure with the Magic. It was a frustrating half season.

And it was made more frustrating by what the Magic gave up to get them.

Next: Backup bigs