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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Meeting first quarter expectations

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Dec 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) and center Bismack Biyombo (11) react after a basket during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center. Orlando Magic defeated Washington Wizards 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) and center Bismack Biyombo (11) react after a basket during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center. Orlando Magic defeated Washington Wizards 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic, James Ennis, Memphis Grizzlies
Oct 3, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Orlando Magic guard Mario Hezonja (8) shoots over Memphis Grizzlies forward James Ennis (8) during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

What disappointed you about the Orlando Magic in the first quarter of the season?

Iwanowski: The lack of patience and development of their young assets. This stems from the summer, but I wanted to see the remaining young guys be put in a position that could help them develop, and so far that has not occurred. The biggest question is with Mario Hezonja. I get he has not impressed most of the time since he was drafted, but I would still like to see him have a role on the team, specifically when the alternative is a forward who angered all of his former teams and fans with disappointing play. Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton had also been pulled out of their starting roles at points in the season, as neither work well playing in a slow style based around big men. It is possible the three recent top-10 picks will not develop in a Magic uniform, and I fear the potential they trade one of those guys (Mario Hezonja probably) to a favorable situation and watch them break out (see Maurice Harkless).

Jumani: The Orlando Magic have not shown the belief in their young players. Mario Hezonja has been shoved to the bench for good, it looks like. Now Hezonja is going to have even a tougher time with Jodie Meeks back from offseason surgery. Hezonja has proven he can deliver big performances when given a chance. Last season, he had 21 points against the Chicago Bulls on March 2 when he started the game due to the injury to Evan Fournier. The Magic have to let him make mistakes and learn from them. That is how young players develop, as opposed to being afraid to make mistakes. This has caused Hezonja’s confidence to go down, he often second guesses himself during games and passes up a shot that he is capable of making. As David mentioned, I also fear Hezonja will break out if the Magic trade him to a team that believes in him more than the Magic. They also moved both Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton to the bench, which was disappointing to see.

Palmer: I wrote an entire article about it but I do not like the way that the Magic have handled Mario Hezonja. The leash he got was extremely short and based on how the rotations are playing out I do not see him entering the rotation barring a couple of injuries. Mario Hezonja is young, but I am not sure how he is going to work out the kinks in his game without experiencing the NBA speed without getting the playing time to gauge it. Hopefully the Magic hang onto Hezonja, though I am worried after Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel noted the Magic would be looking for a scorer in the trade market. I still believe Hezonja is an extremely valuable piece to this team’s future and trading him now while his stock is low would be a huge miscalculation.

Next: Five questions Orlando Magic must answer in second quarter

Rossman-Reich: It would have to be Aaron Gordon for me. I admittedly had high expectations for Gordon to take a leap offensively. Even if it was just a small leap and his fit at the 3 still looked incomplete, I expected Gordon to be a lot more effective offensively. Maybe that is still coming as he gets comfortable. The Magic are using him less in pick and rolls now and trying to get him offensive opportunities where he could be successful now. Gordon wants to attack off the dribble and that is still not his strong suit. His offense has seemingly stagnated.