The Orlando Magic had trouble closing games last year. With a new lineup and a new coach, who has the qualities needed to finish games this year?
Much is made of the starting lineup in NBA basketball. It is a badge of honor, a contract perk and an establishment of pecking order within all but a very select few teams. Uncountable are the occasions where players have come to blows with their teammates, coaches and the media over that all-important starting spot.
When really analyzed, why all the bother?
There is the glory of the line up announcements, for sure, and the thrill of being ever so slightly closer to the opening tip (or jumping for it, in fairness), but what of it? Do the first few seconds of gameplay really matter when compared with what is to come?
No. No player truly cares about being in the starting lineup, even if they do not realize it. But every player cares about who finishes a game, because that is what really matters.
In this day of replays and Vines, the final minutes and possessions are what really matter. And everyone knows it.
With that in mind, who then, is likely to be in the all-important finishing lineup for the Orlando Magic in the 2017 season?
What is a finishing player? What qualities do they posses? A NBA game/player is far too complex to be completely broken down here, but there are a few assumptions we can make.
A finishing player must not be turnover prone, must not be a complete waste on either end of the floor, must be level-headed and, of course, be capable of making that clutch shot (and really should be a confident free-throw shooter on top).
Frank Vogel certainly seems willing to take a by committee approach. Who leads the team in scoring and who finishes might very well be what is working in each game. Let this be an ideal finishing lineup for the Magic then.
Next: Point Guard