Tyler Harvey faces long road to make the Orlando Magic

Tyler Harvey spent last season developing his game in the D-League. Harvey likely will participate in Summer League with hopes of landing on the main roster.

Tyler Harvey was drafted out of Eastern Washington as the country’s leading scorer with 22.9 points per game last year. He joined six other players to have multiple collegiate seasons with at least 20 points per game on a 60 percent true shooting percentage (Stephen Curry, Ryan Toolson, Ricky Minard, Kevin Martin, Ike Diogu and Doug McDermott) since 2000.

The Orlando Magic though elected to place him in the D-League to polish his game for the 2016 season, thinking he could grow into a contributor for seasons to come.

In his first year in the D-League, Harvey averaged 11.9 points per game, with 36 percent field goal percentage and 35 percent 3-point field goal percentage in just less than 27 minutes a game. While Harvey’s numbers dipped across the board compared to his college years, he was still able to catch fire at times.

The Magic drafted Mario Hezonja in the first round giving them a confident scorer and shooter. Harvey was mainly picked up as another scoring option to develop.

While at Eastern Washington Harvey played with the ball in his hands most of the time. During his time with the Erie Bayhawks, the coaching staff tried to get him comfortable with playing off the ball, which played a part in his numbers decline. Through the season, Harvey got more comfortable playing off the ball and made the right adjustments. He will need to continue to show improvement in that area.

The question is what should the Orlando Magic do with Harvey?

As a team looking to take the next step, having project players on the roster will not move the team forward in their process. This offseason the Orlando Magic will be looking to add veterans to this lineup already filled with youth and potential.

Harvey’s best feature is his ability to score , but in the D-League, he was only ranked 65th in points. That number has to improve if he wants to be on any NBA roster.

The Orlando Magic have a stable of talented players that need a little more development to reach their full potential, and they are building chemistry together. Harvey’s best chance to make this roster might have passed in the last season.

As former head coach Scott Skiles searched for answers Harvey was never called up and given a shot. This was by design so the Magic could retain his rights. He was going to spend the entire year in Erie.

Even still, Harvey did not seem like an option even if that was an option available to the Magic.

In a season where the Magic experimented with many different lineups and sent a few players back and forth from the D-League, Tyler Harvey was not a viable option to be one of them.

There still may be a chance for Tyler Harvey to crack this roster.

Overall, Harvey just may not be part of the plans. The Magic will look to add veterans to their bench to complement and push the young group currently in place, leaving Harvey out of the loop.

Tyler Harvey likely will be participating in the Magic’s Summer League this offseason. This will be his best opportunity to show that he belongs in the NBA. If he does well there, he would then get a look on the main roster during training camp.

Even then, Harvey may have a tough road to make the roster.

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While there may not be room for him with the Orlando Magic, if he does well enough, he could land on an NBA roster.