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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Midpoint review

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov (20) defends a shot by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov (20) defends a shot by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Bismack Biyombo, Orlando Magic, Justin Anderson, Seth Curry, Dallas Mavericks
Nov 19, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry (30) controls the ball against Orlando Magic center Bismack Biyombo (11) as guard Justin Anderson (1) looks on during the second half at Amway Center. The Magic won 95-87. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

5. What player has been the biggest disappointment for the Orlando Magic this season?

Palmer: Jeff Green for me. I was actually one of the few people who liked and defended that signing, but I was definitely wrong about this one. Green is a bipolar player and it seems to stem from effort. I mean, yeah Green has not been able to shoot from the perimeter this year, but his defense is all effort. Some games he looks like a reasonably good defender and others he just kind of stands in place and goes through the motions. In addition to playing extremely inconsistent basketball, he is taking minutes from Mario Hezonja. That is not really Jeff Green’s fault, it is more on Frank Vogel. But it certainly makes the signing even more disappointing than it already has been.

Jumani: Due to the big contract Bismack Biyombo signed and looking at his lackluster performance on the defensive end this season, I have to say he has been the biggest disappointment. Biyombo has the fourth-worst field goal percentage allowed at the rim on the team, at an even 50 percent. The Magic players worse than him are C.J. Wilcox, Damjan Rudez and Stephen Zimmerman — and these players rarely get minutes. This year, Biyombo has been very ineffective on defense plain and simple. Last year his field goal percentage allowed at the rim was a very impressive 43.7 percent. Biyombo, who is a one-dimensional player who only contributes on the defensive end, simply has to be better than this poor performance in order for the Magic to even have a crack at making the Playoffs.

Rossman-Reich: Bismack Biyombo has been the biggest disappointment. Salary certainly plays a part of it. But I think everyone expected him to be strong defensively. The fact the Serge Ibaka-Nikola Vucevic defensive pairing has looked better than the Serge Ibaka-Bismack Biyombo defensive pairing says it all. Biyombo and Ibaka are not erasing everything at the rim — save one game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, they are overplaying and giving up shots around the basket. There is a lack of discipline in the way Biyombo roams. Biyombo wants to be a leader on this team and says a lot of the right things. His energy is good. But I think the Magic expected a lot more from him for what they signed him for.

Doyle: Bismack Biyombo is the biggest disappointment. After signing a huge deal in free agency, he just has not had the impact I was expecting. It really seemed like he turned the corner in that series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs last season. Sadly, he has not been the deterrent many felt he could be. Biyombo was never going to do much of anything on the offensive end, but his work on the glass has been abysmal. There is still plenty of time to turn things around but the key for Biyombo is going to be discipline. If he can stay disciplined and hone in on making the smart play, things will get better.

Iwanowski: I was a Mario Hezonja believer, I truly was. I always thought it was because of Scott Skiles‘ harsh treatment of rookies he was not able to thrive last season, and I thought it was because of Croatia’s coaching staff’s questionable decision making that he did not play a huge role in the Olympics. But the fact every coach has reserved Hezonja to a bench role, including current coach Frank Vogel, is very alarming. Hezonja has flat out not been good when he has played. I expected him to play a significant role in the offense this season, and he has not even played well enough to get playing time over Jeff Green and Damjan Rudez. If he continues to disappoint, that draft pick will end up being a key reason for the sad state of the Magic franchise, especially with the quality of players in that draft.

Next: Five trade deadline targets for the Orlando Magic

Who are your surprises and disappointments from the first half of the season. What do the Magic need to do to right the ship? Join our roundtable by answering these questions in the comments below or interact with us via our Twitter accounts and @omagicdaily.