Five takeaways from Orlando Magic Summer League
Point Guard Options
A lot of people put some focus on the point guard position throughout the summer. Elfrid Payton‘s position on the team is a little less sure than it was under Rob Hennigan. D.J. Augustin was a disappointment in the first year of his four-year contract.
Fans were a bit disappointed the team did not take a point guard in the Draft. Whether that is legitimate or not.
With the Magic likely to move or cut C.J. Watson by Monday, the team needed a third point guard. And it looked like the team might grab one off the Summer League roster.
Kalin Lucas was a solid contributor for the Erie BayHawks and a veteran player who could play those spot minutes ably. Derrick Walton Jr. was an intriguing player who surprisingly was not drafted. But he is a strong scorer and good in the pick and roll.
It felt like the team would have some good options to determine a third point guard in Summer League if the team wanted to go that route. Making things even harder, both played really well.
Orlando Magic
Walton stole a lot of the headlines. He had great command over the offense in averaging 10.0 points per game and recording a team-high 14 assists (3.5 per game). He also shot 46.9 percent form the floor and 6 for 12 from beyond the arc.
But Lucas was not bad either. He averaged 12.5 points per game and dished out 12 assists (3.0 per game) while shooting 42.2 percent from the floor. He was a bit more aggressive looking for his own shot, but he had a good week leading the offense.
Neither played poorly and both would seemingly be good options for the Magic if they looked at the Summer League roster for a third point guard.
Then came the news the Magic would sign veteran point guard Shelvin Mack to a two-year contract. All of a sudden the Magic have tons of money committed to the position and seemingly no room for these two young players.
Orlando’s point guard questions are not going away. But maybe everyone needs to see how the rest of the puzzle plays out before judging too quickly.
If the Lakeland Magic get Derrick Walton Jr. or the Magic opt to keep him on a two-way contract, they will have several options to fill those point guard minutes.