Which former Magic player has made the biggest impact in the Playoffs so far?
Rossman-Reich: You have to give it up for Serge Ibaka so far in the first round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors. Ibaka has always been a devastating defensive player when he is engaged. Winning engages him. And he has been a strong player for the Raptors as they have retaken control of the series. This was the Ibaka the Magic hoped they could get. Unfortunately, he cannot pull that out for 82 games.
Scricca: I am still on the lookout for Dewayne Dedmon to get some quality minutes because I feel with his defense and rim-running skills (something all his frontcourt teammates lack), he could be an impact player for the San Antonio Spurs. Dwight Howard has given the Atlanta Hawks some frontcourt muscle despite his declining athleticism, which has been a problem for the Washington Wizards. However, you have to give it to Serge Ibaka. He has given the Toronto Raptors so much energy on both ends of the floor. Without his impact, the Raptors could very easily be on the brink of elimination. This kind of production is what the Magic hoped they were getting last summer but never received. Also, shouts out to Maurice Harkless and Brandon Jennings.
Palmer: How about Victor Oladipo? His lack of ability to be a solid number two option for the Oklahoma City Thunder knocked them right out of the playoffs. Oladipo ended up shooting something like 14 percent or so from the field on the road. That seems like a fairly impossible number. In addition to that, the Thunder did not even trust him to defend James Harden, which meant the Thunder had to play 4-5 with Anthony Roberson on the floor for a large chunk of the series. I am a huge Oladipo fan but he is a prime reason for why the Thunder are already on vacation.
Iwanowski: Zach beat me to the Oladipo-helping-the-Rockets joke, so I will be serious. Serge Ibaka has really turned it on in a way that makes Magic fans wonder what could have been. He has been completely engaged on both ends, blocking budding-superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim and following it up with big shots. He looks like the two-way stud the Magic traded so much for.