Orlando Magic 2016-17 Player Evaluations: Arinze Onuaku

Arinze Onuaku was a surprise addition to the Orlando Magic roster after the preseason. He earned his spot but also was inevitably going to be a January cut.

The Orlando Magic seemed like they already had plenty of size when they left training camp with Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo holding down the center spot and Serge Ibaka plenty capable of sliding over to center. The team had two empty roster spots heading out of camp and a decision between several training camp invitees.

It was somewhat surprising then to see the Magic elect to keep the young 6-foot-9 center in Arinze Onuaku.

Onuaku was impressive during the preseason. He knew how to throw around his size and weight. And the Magic were not going to rely heavily on him at any point in the season. Onuaku had grown since his first time playing for coach Frank Vogel, but he still had a lot of rough edges. Particularly on defense.

And with so many centers in front of him, Onuaku was more a body for practice than someone who was going to break into the rotation. The decision to keep Onuaku was curious.

It was just as inevitable as his eventual waiving from the team before his contract became guaranteed in January. Onuaku was not meant for the team long.

His skills were extremely limited. He had some decent post moves and could move around well under the basket. His size was something tough to deal with. Onuaku was comfortable in the post. But that is simply not a skill that is important in big men anymore. Especially if that is all he can do.

He was still a liability defensively. His mobility and athleticism were not great and he is not a great leaper to protect the rim. Onuaku just may be an odd man out in the modern NBA — simply a big body and nothing more. That kind of a player just has less value in today’s game.

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Onuaku averaged 0.5 points and 0.8 rebounds per game last year in eight appearances. He finished the season with four points and six rebounds in 28 minutes played. Onuaku was perpetually at the end of the bench.

The Magic cut Onuaku in January before his contract became fully guaranteed. It seemed like the correct decision considering how little he was playing. Orlando kept that roster spot open until late in the season when the team signed Marcus Georges-Hunt and Patricio Garino (cutting C.J. Wilcox in the process).

Onuaku will undoubtedly find himself on a Summer League team again next year. Whether that leads to another training camp invite? That part is tough to tell.  He will have to work himself back onto a roster again.

He had something of an advantage coming to Orlando. Onuaku played for Vogel with the Indiana Pacers in training camp before the 2014 season. Vogel was familiar with his game. And liked him enough to keep him around.

That time ran out.

Arinze Onuaku came into the season with almost no expectations. He was going to play at the end of the bench and sparingly at that. He played in only eight games for the first half of the season before his ultimate cutting in January.

All of this seemed to go as expected. So Onuaku did not elevate his game in any way or make any kind of impression.

He worked hard and earned his spot on the roster with his preseason play. No one is begrudging him that. Onuaku put in two straight solid years for the Magic’s Summer League team, leading the White team to the championship game in consecutive years. That got him his spot.

And Onuaku is the kind of player who succeeds in that setting where his physicality can wear down on players. It does not work that way in the NBA, though. Onuaku’s skills will put him perpetually on the fringe.

He earned his spot on the team. But the question still remains why? What did he really bring to the team? There might have been some practice benefits, but clearly it was not enough to keep him beyond that guarantee date.

Next: 2016-17 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Bismack Biyombo

Onuaku was just generally unspectacular. His minutes and his time with the Magic reflected that.