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Orlando Magic invite six players to training camp

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Nov 25, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Damjan Rudez (10) reacts after making a shot in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 99-95. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Damjan Rudez (10) reacts after making a shot in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 99-95. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic made training camp very real, announcing they are inviting six players to their training camp beginning Sept. 27.

The last sign the regular season is getting very real — aside from next week’s release of NBA2K17 — the Orlando Magic roster is now officially complete. Or at least, the training camp roster is complete.

The Magic announced they have invited six players to training camp this September to compete for the final roster spot on the Magic’s roster and possibly for spots on the Erie BayHawks roster in the D-League.

Three players from the Magic’s Summer League team will play for the team during training camp and some other invites, including the expected invite for Damjan Rudez round out the training camp roster.

Rudez likely has the best shot at making the roster. Rudez has played in the NBA the past two seasons, including his rookie year with Frank Vogel and the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 2.3 points per game in 33 appearances last year for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But he is a 39.1 percent 3-point shooter for his career.

Rudez has played primarily small forward, but at 6-foot-10 could probably play some stretch-4. That would help the Magic add some size to the end of their bench although both Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon figure to see time behind Serge Ibaka at power forward.

If the Magic are looking to add a power forward, Cliff Alexander could also be an option. Alexander went undrafted despite being the fourth best high school prospect in the Class of 2014. He was a McDonald’s All American and had a solid career at Kansas.

Alexander though struggled to find a fit in the NBA. He appeared in only eight games last season for the Portland Trail Blazers. He spent the majority of the year with the Santa Cruz Warriors, averaging 15.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game in four games.

Alexander is more a traditional power forward with the ability to hit a mid-range jumper and work in the post. He is a likely candidate to spend his season in Erie. But he clearly has talent and is looking for the opportunity to make good on that promise.

Two players from the Magic’s Summer League team will get special focus in training camp.

Kevin Murphy was the breakout star for the Orlando Magic White team. He averaged 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting 42.2 percent from the floor. Murphy is a versatile 6-foot-5 wing player. He played in Japan last year.

His hard work during Summer League certainly helped him earn an extra look from the Magic. It also likely means he is going to get the prolonged look in Erie unless he really impresses the Magic.

Arinze Onuaku may also be heading that way too. He was very impressive in Summer League for Orlando Magic White, averaging 14.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9, 255-pound center looked physically bigger than his competition throughout the week.  He has solid footwork and is a load to handle.

Summer League is not the best competition in the world. And the Magic are set at center with Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo and Stephen Zimmerman. Onuaku is more physically ready for the NBA though and could be a good player to have in Erie in case of an emergency.

Nick Johnson is the most well known of the six invitees. The former Arizona guard, and teammate of Aaron Gordon, has been to Orlando’s Summer League the last three years. He joined the Magic’s Summer League roster as he continued a transition to point guard. He averaged 14.4 points and 7.4 assists per game.

Johnson struggled to shoot the ball and still is grasping the finer points of playing point guard. He has been very successful at the D-League level, averaging 10.4 points per game for the Austin Spurs in 34 games.

The final player the Magic added is forward Branden Dawson.

Dawson appeared in a few games for the Los Angeles Clippers, but spent the majority of his time in the D-League last year, including the Erie BayHawks. Dawson averaged 10.3 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game, showing off a great shooting stroke.

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In his eight games with the BayHawks, he averaged 19.9 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. That looked more like he did with Michigan State.

Dawson is an intriguing talent. He is a big-3 with an improving jumper. He could work his way into the roster rotation to play behind Aaron Gordon, Jeff Green and Mario Hezonja.

It is hard to tell exactly what the Magic will be looking for in that final roster spot. The Magic are relatively deep at each position. Perhaps they will look for a true shooting guard, but none of these players really match that role (maybe Nick Johnson). The Magic have some added bodies to test the players they figure to make the roster.

Still these players should provide some intrigue for the D-League roster and all have the potential to crack the Magic’s roster as the 15th player. They all have a long way to go though. The Magic roster is already seemingly pretty loaded with players they are invested in and have to play.

Next: Aaron Gordon readying to do everything for Orlando Magic

Training camp opens for the Orlando Magic on Sept. 27. The roster stands at 19 players and will have to be cut by at least four players before the season begins.