The Orlando Magic’s roster makeover brought with it added depth but also a lot of questions about roles moving forward. The Magic endeavored to answer some.
The dust has really settled on the Orlando Magic’s offseason.
Summer League and free agency have long passed and the roster is very much what it will be for this team in the 2017 season. There are few options remaining to improve the roster. In all likelihood, this is the team the Magic will be when the season tips off.
There are a few things that are clear though.
The Magic will have a defensive identity. The team’s lack of a consistent offensive option or creator and 3-point shooting almost necessitates that the team be near elite on the defensive end. Plus, that is just what Frank Vogel’s teams do.
The team will have more depth than it has had in the past. There is already that crazy logjam at center that has dominated discussion since the offseason kicked into high gear. The team spent a lot to bring versatility to the roster and bring guys who have played proven minutes in the league. This is not a young team anymore.
The pressure to make the Playoffs is at an all-time high. This could be one of the Magic’s season with the highest stakes in franchise history. Jobs are very much on the line if the team fails to show adequate progress. And the only acceptable progress might be making the Playoffs outright.
When the Magic introduced all their new acquisitions earlier in July, it actually became one of the more revealing press conferences since Rob Hennigan took over as general manager. The team had some major questions to answer about the roster and set the table about how they envision the team playing.
As Frank Vogel said, the team will rely heavily on its defense to be the baseline for the franchise. The team will use its versatility to throw different lineups at teams and match up with just about anyone with a capable lineup.
This team is not going to fit neatly into a box. But in some ways it has to. There are some ways the Magic’s roster has to find a way to work in traditional ways. And, as Scott Skiles used to say, a rotation will typically reveal itself.
The Magic are already thinking about some of these big questions even at this relatively early stage in the summer. August will soon turn to September and some of these big roster questions will demand more permanent answers.
Next: Aaron Gordon a 3 or a 4?
Is Aaron Gordon a 3 or a 4?
No player probably faces more questions on the roster than Aaron Gordon.
His first two years in the league have been marked by his incredible athleticism, blunted by frustrating injuries. Just as he was getting going as a rookie, he fractured a bone in his foot and was put on the shelf for most of the season. His second year was stopped before it even began. A fractured jaw in the summer halted all the progress that turned heads at Summer League.
Gordon showed plenty of growth in his sophomore year still. It went beyond his stellar Slam Dunk contest performance. He was a better player overall and showed signs of a true lock down defender. He would certainly fit the identity Vogel is trying to build with the Magic now on defense.
The question is where.
Magic general manager Rob Hennigan has always liked to say his players do not have a set position. Gordon has always been a forward. It is very likely Gordon will see time at both forward positions.
“His versatility is what makes him valuable,” Hennigan said. “Aaron is comfortable playing either position. If you ask him, he would prefer to play the 3. We have all the confidence in the world in his ability to do that. We love the fact that he is able to swing between positions. As is Jeff, which gives us good versatility on the wing.”
Gordon has played both forward positions, but has spent most of his time at power forward. It was a roughly 60-40 split at power forward. His poor shooting prevented him from playing a ton of small forward, but if he can keep improving that it is very possible to seeing him play more on the perimeter.
He is still a young player with a lot of growing to do on the floor. He has put up solid numbers, but how the Magic use him is still very much a mystery. And there is no clear or easy answer.
The easy answer is that he will likely start at small forward. He is too talented and too important to leave out of the starting lineup. That will be a new challenge for him. Some place he claims he is comfortable, but a place he has not produced yet.
Gordon will bounce around, playing likely a 50/50 split between the two forward positions.
“I would say both,” Vogel said. “He’s going to probably with Serge starting at the 4, he would start at the 3. But the way the league plays, you have to have the ability to play a guy like Aaron at the 4. A guy as versatile as Aaron is, what position he plays is predicated on the player around him. If Serge Ibaka is not here, he’s a 4 for us. With Serge Ibaka here, he’s a 3 and we’re really long, which is really exciting.”
And in that way, perhaps Gordon is the perfect forward for the league. As long as he keeps improving.
Next: . . . And Serge Ibaka?
Is Serge Ibaka a 4 or a 5?
The similar question is left for Serge Ibaka too.
Ibaka has made his name throughout the league as a rim-protecting 4. The unicorn, if you will. There are just not many players with his ability to play defense on nearly all five positions and block shots from the power forward position. All with a decent enough jumper.
There is no doubt the 6-foot-10 forward has seen a pretty steady decline. His defensive numbers have slipped and his offensive shooting numbers have slipped too. There are plenty of narratives and potential reasons for this to have happened.
Ibaka was pulled away from the basket too much. Players got smaller and quicker at the 4, limiting Ibaka’s ability to protect the paint. Constant injuries slowed him down. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant demanded the ball to much.
The Magic certainly will use Ibaka in a way he has never been used before. He very well could have more plays called for him. That usage rate should creep to more than 20 percent for the first time in his career.
But Ibaka has overwhelmingly played at
center
power forward in his career — he has not played more than 30 percent of his minutes at center since his first two years. The vast majority of his minutes have been at power forward. And that is where the Magic are planning on using him.
“My vision is that Serge was going to play the 4 and Biz was going to play the 5 with Vuc,” Vogel said. “We can slide Serge over there. We always tried to have two rim protectors in Indiana. So we play 48 minutes with shot blocking. Now we can play 48 minutes with the ability to switch at the big position as well, making us versatile enough to be elite as a defensive unit in today’s NBA. To have two guys like that puts us in a great position to achieve our goals.”
It would seem since the Magic acquired and targeted Bismack Biyombo — and he was according to Hennigan always the team’s top free agent priority, before and after acquiring Ibaka — Ibaka was always slated to play primarily power forward.
That does not mean there will not be the occasional stray lineup with him at center, but it seems clear Ibaka is penciled in and locked in at power forward for the most part.
Next: The Big Man Rotation
What is the big man rotation?
And that leads to the big question. Literally the big question.
The Orlando Magic’s signing of Bismack Biyombo certainly added another layer to the team and the questions surrounding the Magic’s rotation. It is a bit unclear who fits in where.
A lot of ink has been spilled trying to figure out where all three of these players fit. There is already plenty of consideration and figuring out whether Nikola Vucevic fits with the future.
For now, the Magic seem set to rotate among their three or four bigs. Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo will man the middle. Sometimes, they may play together since Biyombo can play the 4. It means Serge Ibaka is likely a power forward with Aaron Gordon filling in minutes too.
“Vuc will play the 5 with Serge having the ability to slide over to the 5,” Vogel said. “I think Aaron will play a lot at the backup 4 along with Jeff Green. I think Jeff and Aaron playing alongside each other against small teams could be a great versatile lineup to go to.”
That appears to be the plan.
Orlando has a lot of options for these positions. The Magic are going to rotate a whole bunch of players in and out and find a combination that works. They have plenty of options.
For now, it seems the starting group is set with Vucevic or Biyombo fighting at center, Ibaka at power forward and Gordon and Jeff Green playing any minutes remaining the front court.
Next: Who starts at center?
Who starts at center?
This might be the biggest question mark heading into training camp. Who will start at center.
This has been the question driving Magic fans crazy ever since they signed Bismack Biyombo to a four-year, $68-million deal. It is tough to see the team leaving $17 million per season on the bench. Then again, Vucevic is a constant and consistent producer on the offensive end.
There are a lot of competing interests here.
Money vs. longevity. Consistency vs. potential. Offensive acumen vs. defensive rim protection.
Deciding between Biyombo and Vucevic is as much about identity as it is about what the team needs. It is still unclear what direction the team will go. The Magic have a difficult decision.
“We’ve got two starting centers now,” Vogel said. “We’ll see how it plays out and what the rotation looks like. More importantly to me, not only do we have two starting centers but two centers I feel good closing games with. A lot of versatility with our rotation. The center position is going to be solidified for sure.”
The Magic indeed do have multiple options. Options are good, but they also allow for plenty of speculation and debate.
Likely Vucevic still has a place. The Magic will need his offense. And they owe it to him to see if the pairing with him and Ibaka can work. The Biyombo-Ibaka-Gordon front line is not likely to generate a ton of offense. Especially if Elfrid Payton is starting at point guard.
The Magic though, again, have options.
That is the power of depth. And all these questions facing the Magic’s roster have a lot to do with depth than anything else. The Magic can look to multiple different combinations with plenty of potential to work with this season.
Next: FiveThirtyEight: Magic Projections
The roster has come together and these big questions will be something to watch for when training camp begins.