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Orlando Magic: Top 5 duos for the 2017 season

By Spencer R. Henderson

Dec 23, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) steals the ball from Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) with lees then 2 seconds left during the fourth quarter at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Houston Rockets 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) steals the ball from Houston Rockets forward Trevor Ariza (1) with lees then 2 seconds left during the fourth quarter at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Houston Rockets 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
Feb 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Evan Fournier (10) react after a basket against the Atlanta Hawks during overtime at Philips Arena. The Magic defeated the Hawks 117-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic

This could be the Magic’s most efficient scoring duo entering the 2017 season. They were last year. This duo finished with the two highest player efficiency ratings among the remaining players on the team from last year. Vucevic finished the season with a 21.1 PER while Fournier finished with a 14.7 PER.

These two are the top remaining scorers on the roster coming into the new season. Vucevic averaged 18.2 points per game and shot 51 percent from the field. Fournier averaged 15.4 points per game and shot 46.2 percent from the field 40.0 percent from three.

This duo is crucial to the offensive identity for the Magic. When Vucevic saw double teams in 2016, Fournier would run to either corner and post up on the 3-point line for Vucevic’s assist.

The shooting guard/center duo logged more minutes together than any other players on the current roster. Many of those were together, playing roughly 23.3 minutes per game together. With Fournier’s 32 minutes per game overall last year, one could assume his minutes will stay at more than 30 minutes per game.

Vucevic saw more than 30 minutes per game too. But his minutes could be limited this year with the arrival of Bismack Biyombo. How many minutes will Vucevic play will become an interesting topic heading into training camp.

Vucevic and Fournier play with more of a finesse style, scoring with the jump shot. The offensive talent and potential is the exact opposite of most of the other Magic duos. The focus of this duo is clearly on the offensive side of the ball.

The two should aspire to be like how Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic were for the 2001 Sacramento Kings.  A team that were always in contention for a championship.

Divac only averaged 13.2 points per game but dished out 4.4 assists per game. Vucevic is a much more polished scoring threat than Divac was. If Vucevic can channel his playmaking ability, he may be able to bump up his assist from the 2.8 assists per game from last year.

Stojakovic was one of the best scorers in the NBA at the time, Fournier should aspire to be like him. Stojakovic averaged 21.2 points per game while grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game and dishing out 2.5 assists per game. Fournier averaged 15.5 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game and 2.7 assists per game in 2016. Fournier is not nearly the marksman Stojakovic was.

If these two improve from last year, Orlando could finish better than .500 for the first time since 2011.

Next: Go Big?