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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: The best starting lineup

By Philip Rossman-Reich

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Shooting Guard

Ryan Doyle: Nick Anderson. Anderson is a fan favorite in Orlando and was able to help get the franchise onto his feet. He was the third option in the Penny-Shaq years and had one of the best steals in NBA history. Anderson should be a no brainer.

David Iwanowski: Tracy McGrady. Listed as a shooting guard on Basketball-Reference, there is no doubt McGrady deserves the nod here. He did everything for the Magic during his four-year stint, and led them to the playoffs three out of those four years. He was one of the best offensive players in the league, and his ability to do everything for the Magic led to him finishing in the top six of MVP voting for three of those years despite the Magic not being championship contenders.

Spencer R. Henderson: Tracy McGrady should feel disrespected by this question. There was a time in 2003 when McGrady was arguably a better player than Kobe Bryant. McGrady averaged 32 points per game in 2003 and won and defended his scoring title. He never made a Finals appearance because he never had an All-Star caliber teammate who could stay healthy, no excuse its the truth.

Zach Palmer: Tracy McGrady. I wanted to give this to Nick Anderson as his time and importance to the franchise gives him a sentimental edge but Tracy McGrady was an otherworldly basketball player in Orlando. McGrady arguably was the best player in the entire NBA in Orlando but was surrounded by a rag tag group of players thanks to Grant Hill’s unfortunate injury.

Philip Rossman-Reich: Here is where determining positions gets tricky. I side with FanSided and think Tracy McGrady is actually a small forward, but Basketball-Reference has him as a shooting guard. I must concede then and apologize to Nick Anderson. McGrady is one of the four best players in franchise history. He was the best perimeter scorer — best overall scorer — in franchise history. He carried teams that had no business being in the Playoffs to the Playoffs, and perhaps nearly beyond. McGrady gets the nod at shooting guard (on a technicality, I guess).

Next: Small forward