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Arron Afflalo is all smiles as he returns to Orlando Magic

By Philip Rossman-Reich

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: Arron Afflalo #4 of the Orlando Magic drives to the hoop against Matt Barnes #22 of the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on January 12, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein /NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 12: Arron Afflalo #4 of the Orlando Magic drives to the hoop against Matt Barnes #22 of the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on January 12, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein /NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Arron Afflalo‘s career hit a plateau after leaving the Orlando Magic. He returns to Orlando all smiles as he tries to recapture his happiness again.

Arron Afflalo was positively beaming as he walked back into the Amway Center for the first time after signing a new contract.

Why that is the case may not be overly apparent from looking at his stat sheet or his career. Yes, he had his two best individual seasons in Orlando — averaging 17.4 points per game in his two seasons with the team. But they were also some of the most trying. The team won just 43 games in those two years as it began a long rebuild.

So much has changed about the team — only Nikola Vucevic remains from those teams. So much has changed about Afflalo in that time too.

The intervening three years have not been kind to Afflalo either. The run as the Orlando Magic’s primary scorer was a unique circumstance, but he has struggled to find his footing in the time since. He averaged just 11.7 points per game and hit on 43.5 percent of his shots.

Stability left him too. The Denver Nuggets traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers. He left in free agency for the New York Knicks and then carved a role out for the Sacramento Kings last year.

As he entered free agency this time around, he said he wanted to leave those frustrations behind him. And he immediately targeted a familiar location.

Orlando may not be his hometown, but in two years it was the place where he made his career. And where, in his mind, his career reached the apex of its upward trajectory. The last three years have been frustrating. And Afflalo, now 31 years old, realized he played his best where he was happiest.

And where he was happiest was in Orlando.

"“Since I left here, it has I wouldn’t say the most positive experiences,” Arron Afflalo told Orlando Magic Daily. “Being in the NBA, you have to be happy. And this is by far the happiest place I have been. Not only because I was able to play my best basketball. Just on the court, off the court, the environment, the city, being here with John [Hammond] and Jeff [Weltman], I just think there is a combination of so many things that fulfill me as a person. When you are happy as a person, I think it brings the best out of you as a player.”"

Afflalo has made that known since the signing was first reported, posting on Instagram several times his excitement about returning.

It also helps Afflalo will have some comfort level with the executives in charge. Both Weltman and Hammond were part of the management group that drafted Afflalo with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 Draft while with the Detroit Pistons.

Afflalo certainly can feel a lot more comfortable with his surroundings and the people around Orlando and the Amway Center with the Magic.

The usually upbeat wing player was unusually dour about his time since leaving Orlando. When he entered free agency, finding that home mattered most to him.

"“My first five years in the NBA, I came into some very positive winning environments,” Afflalo told Orlando Magic Daily. “And the latter half has been some different environments. For me, it wasn’t about money or interest, it was about finding the people, the community, the front office, the coaching staff that I felt I could be productive as a person and a player. To say the least, this city has meant everything for me in my career. I have been able to persevere through some tough times because of what I was able to build while I was here.”"

While Afflalo remains confident he can still put up some of the gaudy scoring numbers he did those two years in Orlando, no one is expecting him to be the same player. He said he had not discussed with the Magic specifically what his role would be.

What they did discuss is what he could bring to the team off the court. Afflalo was viewed as the veteran leader in his first stint in Orlando, all while he was in his prime and playing as the leading scorer. Now, Afflalo truly is the team’s leader as probably its oldest player.

His steady play has always been a staple of his career. He has a solid mid-post game and has developed his 3-point shot even more since leaving Orlando. He shot 41.1 percent from beyond the arc last year and figures to help a Magic team desperate for some 3-point shooting.

Afflalo looked at this young team with the Magic and sees its potential to grow and compete for a Playoff spot. Afflalo told reporters he worked already this offseason to lose 15 pounds to be ready to run and keep up with this new wave of the NBA.

Afflalo will have to impart his wisdom to the team first and foremost and bring that energy and optimism he is known for throughout his 10-year career. Getting a young team to play together is not an easy task.

With all Afflalo has been through, he feels Orlando is the place where he can feel the most comfortable and impart the most wisdom on and off the court.

"“It’s just commitment and feeling fortunate to play the game and feeling fortunate to play for your teammates and feeling fortunate to put your best foot forward,” Afflalo told Orlando Magic Daily. “When you have a lot of positive experiences or when you are young and you have a lot of ulterior motives, it is easy to get singular minded about what you want to do that is best for you. Going into my 11th year, you have to develop a bond with your teammates. You have to embrace your city and take on this NBA as a whole group. The sooner we can come together as a whole group and complement each other’s talents, the better it will be for everybody.”"

This will not be a carbon copy of his first tenure with the team.

But Afflalo needed that comfort to get the most out of his career. He felt his career plateaued after he left Orlando. And with the options in free agency, he targeted a return to Orlando, hoping to get his career back on track.

It will probably never be what it was those two seasons with the Magic.

Afflalo wanted to return someplace he felt most comfortable and knew he could succeed. He wanted to rediscover something else as he targeted Orlando in free agency.

"“I just wanted to find happiness. This career is so short lived and you are very fortunate if you can play over 10 years in this league. I didn’t want to see any more years go by where I am frustrated or not happy, irregardless of wins or losses.”"

Afflalo had every reason to smile as nostalgia came over him. He came back to Orlando to find his happiness again and recapture that magic he lost when he last left Orlando.

Next: Orlando Magic Daily Podcast: New Kids on the Block

For now, it is all smiles for him as he returns.