With a little less than two months away from the Orlando Magic’s first preseason game, we dig into the top tandems to watch during the 2017 NBA season.
There have been two NBA All-Star duos throughout Orlando’s short history.
From Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal (1995) to Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson (2009), the Magic have had All-Star caliber players. Even Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill (2001) were a promising All-Star duo that never came to be.
These duos from Central Florida earned league-wide respect during their historical seasons.
Now new head coach Frank Vogel and the Magic organization look for a duo to emerge during the upcoming season, specifically Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon. This season is promised that this duo will make a jump defensively, and there maybe another duo on the team who outshines the youngsters.
There are a lot of intriguing combinations the Magic will want to watch closely and try out as they figure out this new team and roster they have. They will need some group to become much more effective.
Here is the list of the top five duos for the newly constructed Orlando Magic, and which duo has the best chance to make an All-Star appearance in 2017.
Next: The returning stalwarts
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?
4. Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka
This is probably the most anticipated duo because of the defensive potential in the paint. These two frontcourt players are elite on the defensive end.
Frank Vogel is hoping to develop a defensive identity similar to the Indiana Pacers teams he coached in the recent past. They may lack the scoring ability Roy Hibbert and David West had when the Pacers were at their peak though.
The Biyombo/Ibaka duo is unique. It will be interesting to see if Ibaka and Biyombo could take a step in their offensive potential, because they both clearly are elite on the defensive end.
They both love to redirect and block shots from opponents. Biyombo averaged 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes during the 2016 season. Ibaka averaged 2.1 blocks per game.
They have the ‘Splash Brothers’ in Golden State, and this duo could develop the nickname ‘Swat Brothers’ in Orlando. Observers predict Ibaka and Biyombo will erase all of the Magic prior rim protection issues. Vogel has said he wants to keep a shot swatter on the floor at all times.
This duo has the potential to become the best defensive frontcourt in all of basketball, although the duo’s minutes are likely to be limited because of Vucevic.
But, unlike Vucevic, these two players have logged high-level playoff minutes in championship series. If the Magic make the playoffs in 2017 and Vucevic begins to struggle defensively, Biyombo will be the perfect reserve alongside Ibaka.
Next: The 2014 Draft picks
3. Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon
The season will come down to how much growth these two starters have made this offseason. This is the starting duo whom Magic fans are anticipating can turn the franchise into a winner now and for the future.
A lot of unseen pressure is on this duo as well. If this duo does not begin live up to their top-10 pick potential, it is possible they could be shopped during the 2017 season. If the do live up to it, this season could be very special.
This could be Central Florida’s version of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin‘s ‘Lob City’ if they can make the jump and get on the same page offensively.
Gordon has received Blake Griffin and Paul George comparisons, critics have set Gordon’s potential pretty high. Gordon will have to take advantage of the increased minutes Vogel plans to give him if he wants to ever be considered a NBA All-Star type of player.
There will be a learning curve for Gordon being that he is the featured starting small forward this year, a role he seems to be excited about. Last year he played the majority of his minutes at the power forward.
Gordon and Payton were top-10 picks in the 2014 NBA Draft and are currently in the playmaking positions. They are expected to become the Magic’s future.
If Payton can develop a mid-range or a 3-point shot he could be thrusted into the conversation for top-10 all-around point guards this season.
Next: Athletic bigs
2. Serge Ibaka and Aaron Gordon
This is the most athletic defensive tandem for the Orlando Magic going into the new year. It is also the duo that has the most to prove.
Gordon needs to prove to his team he can play the small forward position efficiently and more efficiently than Tobias Harris did last year.
Ibaka needs to prove he can handle more of an offensive load than he has shown during his career. He is going from a third option or fourth option to a second option on the offensive side of the ball.
Frank Vogel said if Ibaka was not on the roster, then Gordon would be the power forward for the Magic. Well, Ibaka is in Orlando and it is clear the two forwards will be critical to the team’s development.
Gordon has developed celebrity status before developing a consistent jumper, although observers say his jumper has improved since last year.
Gordon’s performance in the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest has fans wondering about his offensive ceiling. Julius Erving compared the performance to the 1988 Slam Dunk contest between Michael Jordan and Dominque Wilkins back in the day.
Most critics believe the Ibaka/Gordon duo will be the frontcourt of the future. If that is the case then individual improvement is a must between the two forwards.
This is the only intriguing duo where both of the players can defend every position on the court. If opponents like LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard get past Gordon, Ibaka will be waiting in the paint.
On offense, the two could play the pick-and-roll game David West and Paul George played in Indiana with Vogel. Gordon is a little more athletic than George but is not near the skill level of the perennial All Star for Indiana. If a player like George was in Orlando, the team would probably be labeled as title contenders.
When Ibaka sets a screen for Gordon, defenders would have to pick their poison from an open mid-range shot from Ibaka to an open lane to the basket for Gordon. If Gordon has gotten any more aggressive or faster this offseason, it could be a special year for the duo.
Next: Stay big
1. Nikola Vucevic and Serge Ibaka
This duo has potential to become one the best offensive/defensive frontcourts in the NBA this year. The only duo with 2017 NBA All-Star potential.
Both of these frontcourt players are elite mid-range shooters, and both can successfully run the pick-and-pop with Elfrid Payton.
Vucevic has already made a name for himself as a scoring center in the NBA. Only three centers averaged more points per game (DeMarcus Cousins, Brook Lopez, Karl-Anthony Towns) last year.
A lot of trade rumors about potential suitors for Vucevic’s services are floating around Central Florida after the acquisition of former Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo. Obviously, Biyombo is a better defender, although Vucevic did average one block per game last year without Ibaka’s presence.
In order for this duo to reach its full potential, Vucevic and Ibaka will have to complement each other by stepping up their assists and help-side defense.
Vucevic is the type of center who can score and assist. His 18.2 points per game and 2.8 assists per game is among the top five centers in the game.
Members of the media reported Ibaka was not happy with his prior role with the Thunder. Although Steven Adams emerged during the 2016 Western Conference Finals, his 11.1 points per game and 1.1 assists per game is inferior to Vucevic’s playmaking abilities.
Look for Vucevic to set up Ibaka more than Adams did when faced with double teams this year. Ibaka finished last season averaging 14.2 points per game and shot 47.9 percent from the field.
Next: Aaron Gordon featured in new Nike ad
The two seem to be a much more complementary pair. And for the Magic this year, this duo’s success is the most important for the team to develop.