Orlando Magic Daily
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Top 5 NBA Jam duos for the 2018 Orlando Magic

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 16: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets on December 16, 2015 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 2015 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 16: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets on December 16, 2015 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 2015 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets
ORLANDO, FL – DECEMBER 16: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets on December 16, 2015 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. 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 2015 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

NBA JAM is still one of the most popular and important basketball video games of all time. So who from the 2018 Orlando Magic would represent on NBA JAM?

The Orlando Magic roster is pretty much set for the 2018 season. And there is some measured excitement for the upcoming season. At the very worst, fans believe the team is heading in the right direction.

No one will know for sure where the Magic are headed until the season begins and training camp opens in late September. That gives us a lot of time to kill.

This week — and the last few weeks — have had players focused on video games. NBA2K has started unveiling footage from its latest edition and some of the many new features — including all-time teams.

But the gold standard in NBA video games remains the arcade adrenaline rush that is NBA JAM.

Even though the game originally came out in 1993, it still carries a lot of weight in NBA culture. Phrases like “He’s heating up,” “He’s on fire,” and “Boom-shaka-laka,” are all part of the common NBA lexicon. The two-on-two arcade game has influenced conversations and countless offspring — the sequel NBA JAM Tournament Edition, NBA Hangtime. NBA Showtime, NBA Street and a reboot to NBA JAM a few years ago.

The original — which for the Magic featured Scott Skiles and Nick Anderson, eventually adding Shaquille O’Neal for Nick Anderson — still holds up. And longtime NBA gamers will see the arcade console and play it nonstop.

Sports Illustrated for its “Where are they now?” issue this summer did a great oral history of how the game developed and how it became an institution in NBA culture. It is well worth the read. And it sprouted an offshoot about who are the best NBA JAM units for each team, including the Magic.

To show just how ingrained NBA JAM is into the culture, we are once again trying to figure out who makes the best NBA JAM duo out of the current Magic. We have done that each of the last two years — here is our 2017 version and our 2016 version.

So what do we know about this Magic roster?

Orlando lacks a lot of the players you would want in a NBA JAM team. In fact, I would argue intuitively NBA JAM previewed the analytics revolution we are seeing in the league today. In those two-on-two games, players often go either for dunks or 3-pointers. The two most efficient shots in the game.

The Magic have some strong dunkers in Aaron Gordon, Jonathon Simmons and Terrence Ross, but not a lot of 3-point shooters. Really just Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier are the only shooters.

It would seem then the Magic have limited options to build a good NBA JAM team. They would be one of the first teams you face when you register your initials in the game.

There are definitely some intriguing players to play with and some good combinations we would like to see in the game.

Reminder, this is not a ranking of the best two players on the Magic. This is a ranking of the five best duos from the Magic for a 2018 version of NBA JAM. Without further adieu . . .