Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Vol. 25: What comes next?

From Zaymon via Comments

"1. Who will guard big small forwards in our starting lineup? 2. Can Frank Vogel adapt and use to his advantage the way NBA is playing now? (He was stuck in the past and now I worry he is only copying others) 3. Will our new front office change coach if he doesn’t show enough promise after next year? (He may not fit the core of the future) 4. The idea of Hezonja in the [G-League] insane?( any other way to help our passing and shooting with [Aaron] Gordon, [Elfrid] Payton without sacrificing defense and rebounding?) 5 Any chance that [Nikola] Vucevic can lose some weight and gain some mobility?"

I will try to answer all these questions in turn:

1. I think the issue of defending big small forwards was a huge problem with the starting lineup to end last season. Both Ross and Fournier are tweeners at the wing positions. They are not fast or quick enough to guard most 2s but not big or strong enough to guard 3s.

The only good thing about playing Gordon at small forward was that it relieved this problem. Gordon could guard any player on the perimeter. And I actually think it hurts the Magic defense some to play him at power forward without another switching small forward next to him.

That is where the Magic will need Isaac to grow up pretty quickly.

But, I do not think this is a concern for the Magic this year. Consider this a transition year. Orlando is going to let things play out and see how they work out. So if things are a bit imperfect, that is OK for now. Orlando is willing to see what works and what does not and move on from there.

2. That leads to the second question, which is a good one. Is Vogel’s defensive strategy outdated or was the problem the roster?

I think, like so many players on the roster, this is a year where Vogel has to prove his bona fides again too. He is not on the hot seat. I think he will get the full season this year (barring complete disaster). How warm his seat is next year is likely dependent on how this season goes.

But I anticipate there will be a bounce back. I think his defensive schemes still work.

Essentially what Vogel has always liked to do is switch a lot. And this roster is shaping up as one that can switch pretty freely. Vucevic had his best defensive season of his career last year, and so there is some suggestion he can continue to grow. Or at least be league average there.

The team is over-relying on defense again, but I think Vogel can get the most out of this group. Especially since it feels the roster is improved. The team’s struggles last year was more a problem of roster construction than Vogel’s coaching. But we will see.

Orlando Magic

4. I do not think it would be crazy to see Hezonja get some time with the Lakeland Magic. But my understanding is the team was afraid to do that last year with Erie. Having the team in Lakeland this year, I suspect it is possible for Hezonja and Isaac to spend some spot games there to get some playing time and build confidence before shuttling back to Orlando for practice or a game.

5. At this point, I think Vucevic is what he is. He is entering his prime as a player. And he is a solid player. His shortcomings are his shortcomings.

I think Rob Hennigan was right about one thing. By the end of your rookie contract, you are the player you are. There is not as much room for growth after that.

I think Vucevic can continue to improve some of his weaknesses on the margins. He can still become a better defender. But he will never be a rim protector or a center who can blow up pick and rolls. There will always be that flaw and weakness with his lateral quickness.