The Orlando Magic completed their Summer League run last week. It was a big success for the team. Here are our takeaways from last week.
NBA Summer League is never a definitive thing. It is a higher level than the college game but not quite as organized as it. And certainly not the same level or intensity as the NBA game.
It is a glorified scrimmage in many ways. The games can be sloppy. And the information gained comes with a lot of grains of salt because that competition level is not at its highest.
It is not a complete picture of who a player will be when it comes to the NBA. Especially since most guys have to take on larger roles than they would otherwise for their Summer League teams.
In essence, Summer League tells teams who cannot play more than who can. The important thing from rookies especially is to see whether a player can hold his own playing against men. Getting them ready for the NBA season comes in the months ahead of training camp. And very few rookies are actually ready for the NBA season when it finally comes.
The good news for the Orlando Magic is they clearly saw their two rookies — and several key roster players — could hold their own. The only guy of interest who could not was Stephen Zimmerman. Unfortunately for him, his lack of strength was evident and the Magic opted to move on before his contract became guaranteed.
Summer League is not the time to make conclusions again. But it did reveal some things about the way the Magic want to run and the way the Magic hope to play next year. It also gave the team a good look at their two rookies.
Even though the Magic finished with a 2-3 record and Jonathan Isaac missed the final two games with a hip injury, they certainly learned a lot from the last week. Overall, it was a good week for the Magic.
Here are our takeaways as Magic basketball goes dormant until training camp.
Jonathan Isaac will only get better
A good chunk of the focus for the Orlando Magic in Summer League was spent evaluating and getting a good look at sixth overall pick Jonathan Isaac. It would be that way no matter who the team took in the first round.
Ahead of the Draft, scouts described Isaac as one of the biggest projects in the Draft. He was an extremely raw athlete with some skills defined, but maybe not the assertiveness teams like to see from a top pick. His time with the Florida State Seminoles showed incredible promise, but still plenty of questions.
Summer League would answer some of those questions.
Isaac ended up averaging 10.3 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game in the Summer League, making 44.4 percent of his shots. He recorded 11 offensive rebounds in his three games. And a good chunk of his misses came in a jittery first game where he rushed a lot of his put backs off offensive rebounds.
There are still concerns about him being ready to play physically, but that will quickly disappear as he goes through a NBA workout. Even still, he held his own attacking the offensive glass and defensively. There are fewer concerns about his ability to contribute something as a rookie.
Isaac’s defense is well ahead of his offense. He still has to develop his 3-point shot too on offense to make a bigger impact.
But what was most encouraging about Isaac and the way he played was how he got better each game. His first game was a bit nervous and jittery. His second game, he looked more comfortable and dominant defensively.
Isaac’s third game saw him playing at his most confident. He was darting into the lane off the ball. He was dribbling himself into a rhythm for his jumper. He scored nine points in 12 minutes and seemed on his way to a stellar game.
Then the hip injury. Magic fans and staff may never know what Isaac had in store for that game or for any other game he would have played.
But that progression was extremely encouraging. Isaac was smart and found his spots to take over. As he gained more confidence, his talent began to take over. The progress will be slower in the NBA regular season, but the Magic have to be pleased with what they saw in Isaac.
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.
Marcus Georges-Hunt grinding
When the Orlando Magic signed Marcus Georges-Hunt and Patricio Garino at the beginning of April, it was an odd decision. The decision was made odder when the team barely played the two. Georges-Hunt played fewer than 50 minutes in five games.
When asked about him, coach Chad Forcier said he did not really have much familiarity with Georges-Hunt from his time with the team. And with a new management group, Georges-Hunt very much was playing for the multi-year contract he signed in April.
Call him one of the most pleasant surprises of the Summer League.
Georges-Hunt played in all five games, averaging 14.0 points per game and 14 total assists (2.8 per game). He shot a 57.5 percent effective field goal percentage. He had obviously worked to improve his outside shooting.
But more than that, Georges-Hunt seems to be a better fit than anticipated for a group that wants to see players with length and positional versatility. Georges-Hunt may not have the elite length the Magic ultimately want, but he has that positional versatility. He can get some steam heading toward the basket and score near the rim or he could dish it out just as easily.
On top of that, he is a strong defender. He spent time guarding all three perimeter positions and even some time at power forward. Georges-Hunt seemed like a perfect fit for whatever ethos the Magic are trying to build.
That is the kind of opportunity Summer League is supposed to provide. Georges-Hunt needed to earn his keep and guarantee himself a spot on this roster. It is safe to say Georges-Hunt did that last week.
Georges-Hunt may not be a straight rotation player. He will have his ups and downs still. But he showed the versatility and skills to get a serious look and make the roster.
Developing Defense
Coach Frank Vogel wants to build his team on defense. That is what he has done before with the Indiana Pacers and it is the ethos he lives by.
Yes, offense overran the league last year, but defense still wins championships. And that is ultimately how the Magic want to build their team.
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has shown a penchant for picking players with length and athleticism. That would fit Vogel’s defensive schemes perfectly.
It will take time to get the Magic where they need to go. Their team needs a bit of a reset to fit the new group and new mentality. But there is still lots of potential. And Summer League showed exactly how the Magic want to play on defense.
Especially when Jonathan Isaac was on the floor, the Magic were a terror defensively. They could switch almost every position and defend any perimeter player ably. It created no space for drivers to get into the lane or beat the Magic’s defense.
Orlando as a team had a decent defensive rating — roughly 98.7 points per 100 possessions — and gave up just 40.4 percent shooting from the floor. It is Summer League, so those stats may not have much meaning.
What did have meaning was the way the team played and looked. They were playing together and switching seamlessly, suffocating any path to the basket. This is how Vogel wants to play. This is what he believed in with the Pacers. And this is what modern defenses do.
The Magic are trying to grow into a more modern team on offense and, clearly, on defense. They are increasingly positionless. Defensively during Summer League, the Magic played that way. It was a good sign for what the team wants to build next year.
The question is whether the Magic can build that way with how much the team struggled at the end of last season on defense.
Searching for 3-point shooting
As the Orlando Magic’s defense seemed to modernize, the only missing piece was the team’s offense. And while the Magic believe they are closer to creating the kind of spread offense they need based on how last season ended, it is clear the team needs 3-point shooting too.
That was clear in Summer League too. Orlando went 2-3 despite its strong defense thanks in part to shooting 29.4 percent from beyond the arc. This was not a good shooting team.
One of the team’s better shooters in Patricio Garino shot 3 for 12 from beyond the arc for the week. He struggled to show himself as a 3-point shooter.
Marcus Georges-Hunt still has to prove himself as a 3-point shooter. That is the key to him making the roster ultimately. He was one of the few players who made his 3-point shot consistently throughout the week.
There is no victory in this league without good shooting.
This is not something Isaac is going to solve. He is an OK 3-point shooter, but not someone who is going to spread the floor. He will have to prove he can spread the floor with his shot.
The Magic were not a great 3-point shooting team last year either. Even after the All-Star Break. And the team is trying to modernize its offense.
The offense the Magic ran during Summer League is not going to inspire much. Then again, it is Summer League. Orlando certainly did not have the same quality of attacking players as it will when the regular season begins.
Next: Orlando Magic learn a lot in Summer League
But the Summer League proved a strong defense alone is not going to be enough to win. That seems to be the case during the regular season too. And Orlando still has not done much to solve the team’s offensive woes even as it builds a stronger defense.