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Orlando Magic sign Patricio Garino and Marcus Georges-Hunt for rest of the season

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Oct 21, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Patricio Garino (29) shoots the ball during the first half against the Houston Rockets at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Patricio Garino (29) shoots the ball during the first half against the Houston Rockets at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic have called up two players from the D-League — Patricio Garino and Marcus Georges-Hunt — for the rest of the season.

The Orlando Magic have signed D-League players Patricio Garino and Marcus Georges-Hunt for the rest of the season. To make room for both players, the team waived guard C.J. Wilcox.

The signings this late in the season mean the team will have both players for the rest of the season. It is unclear if either signed multi-year deals or if they are only signed for the rest of the season with an invitation to join the team at Summer League and training camp beyond.

Both guards provide something the Magic need — a bit of 3-point shooting and playmaking.

Garino averaged 11.2 points per game and shot 43.0 percent from beyond the arc with a 53.3 percent effective field goal percentage in 29.2 minutes per game across 49 games. He put together a solid D-League season with the Austin Spurs.

Garino was one of the more intriguing players who came through the Magic’s Summer League last year. Playing for the White team, Garino averaged 12.0 points per game in three games in July. In that time, he was particularly impressive on the defensive end and as a passer.

His play with the Magic and for the Argentina National Team at the Olympics caught everyone’s eyes, especially the San Antonio Spurs. He was one of the last cuts for the Spurs in training camp, playing for their D-League team in Austin.

The 23-year-old guard is capable of playing both wing positions and handling the ball.

Garino’s addition was a surprise as the team was reportedly in the works to sign Marcus Georges-Hunt. The team added Georges-Hunt too, waiving guard C.J. Wilcox to make space.

Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

Georges-Hunt is averaging 15.8 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game for the Maine Red Claws. He shot 39.2 percent from beyond the arc and posted a 53.4 percent effective field goal percentage. Like Garino, he can make some plays and shoot the ball a little bit.

Those are both things the Magic need.

Unfortunately, the additions cost Wilcox a spot on the roster. Wilcox played sparingly — 22 games — and never could get much traction even to fight his way into the rotation. Wilcox has dealt with nagging injuries like tendinitis in his knee. Orlando opted not to pick up his fourth-year option at the beginning of the season, a sign he was likely not part of the team’s future plans.

Now both Garino and Georges-Hunt enter a rotation that is a bit stacked in the backcourt. Jodie Meeks is getting the backup shooting guard minutes. The team recently relegated C.J. Watson to the bench in favor of a nine-man rotation. Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier are the starters and share small forward minutes too.

Finding minutes for these new additions on the court will be a bit tricky. The team will have to sacrifice minutes for someone to get these two players on the floor.

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At the very least, these two young players will get a look through the final practices in the limited minutes in the final five games and then eventually in Summer League in July.