Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Breakouts and expectations

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Nov 11, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) reacts after he made the game winning shot in the last seconds of the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 101-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 11, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) reacts after he made the game winning shot in the last seconds of the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 101-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Kelly Oubre Jr, Washington Wizards, Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
Jan 1, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) dribbles the ball as Orlando Magic guard Mario Hezonja (23) and Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) defend in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

1) Who will be the Orlando Magic’s breakout player?

Philip Rossman-Reich (@omagicdaily): I think Aaron Gordon will be the breakout player for the Orlando Magic this season. We saw how much Aaron Gordon grew from the end of the 2015 season and Summer League. That Aaron Gordon looked confident driving the ball and scoring. He was the best player of the week. Then a jaw injury slowed him down. It took him a long time to find his footing. And when he was given opportunity after the All-Star Break, he upped his scoring to better than 10 points per game and looked like a player figuring out his talent. Now he has had a full healthy summer (outside of a late-summer sprained ankle). Hopefully his role gets defined a bit more from the coaching staff and Gordon gets unleashed. Particularly him playing the 3 now instead of the 4, Gordon has to be a major player for the Magic this year to have some success.

David Iwanowski (@davidiwan1): I believe Mario Hezonja will be the breakout player for the Magic, assuming breakout means the guy who will make the biggest leap forward. The Magic will be relying on Hezonja a lot offensively, as they lack perimeter scorers and secondary creators. In his second year in the NBA, he should be more comfortable with NBA opposition and adjust to the speed of the game. When the Magic relied on him for a bigger role toward the end of last season, he vastly improved his play. Hezonja should take a significant step forward, and as a focal point of the offense he will see his production improve enough to be considered the breakout player.

Ryan Doyle (@RDoyle27): I am going to go with Aaron Gordon. Gordon is going to see a major uptick in usage and with a full, healthy offseason he is primed for a breakout year. If Gordon can show improvement offensively and take on a larger scoring load. I think that could be the key for Orlando’s playoff return. Gordon seems prepared to take this step and emerge as Orlando’s best player. This is now his third year in the league and he was very good during the second half last season. If head coach Frank Vogel puts his trust in Gordon, I expect some big things from “Air Gordon” in 2017.

Luka Jelcic (@lukajelcic19): It has got to be Aaron Gordon. Gordon is still very young, he just turned 21 the last week, and he is already entering his third year in the league. All of his statistic metrics went up last year (e.g. PER went from 11.4 to 17.0) when compared to his rookie year, and I expect for Frank Vogel to have more patience with Gordon than Scott Skiles had. He will probably make mistakes as he adapts to a relatively new position (should play most minutes at the 3). On the other side he should expect more than 23 minutes per game and a secure position within the squad, which should provide him with a sense of safety.

Ricky Scricca (@scricca1): Serge Ibaka is already an established player, but I think we might see him really step his numbers up this season. He has been on a downward trend in most statistical categories over the past few years, but getting more touches and minutes in Orlando could bode extremely well for him. Throughout his career, higher usage rates have correlated with improvements in his numbers on both sides of the ball. As the Magic rely on him to stretch the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense more than the Thunder have in years, I believe Ibaka will thrive.

Zach Palmer (@FmrTankCommandr): This is a tough one because the Magic have a handful of players who could possibly break out. But I am going to go with Mario Hezonja. While Hezonja could struggle to find playing time, I believe the Magic are going to need his offensive creativity to be a successful team. I am not sold on Aaron Gordon playing the small forward spot and having a similar level of success as Paul George. In my eyes, Hezonja has a much better chance of being able to play the Paul George role offensively. The real issue comes back to how the Magic get all of these guys minutes and the answer may end up being a trade or two.

Spencer R. Henderson (@SpencerRHenders): I think Nikola Vucevic will be the breakout player for the Magic. He is the player that is under the most pressure to succeed. The organization paid Bismack Biyombo $17 million a year to eventually replace Vucevic. He has to play well. And I believe he will under the current situation. If he improves his defense he will be an All-Star this year.