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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Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks
ORLANDO, FL – NOVEMBER 19: Wesley Matthews #23 of the Dallas Mavericks guards Nikola Vucevic #9 and Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on November 19, 2016 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. (Photo by Manuela Davies/Getty Images) /

5. Nikola Vucevic & Evan Fournier

At its most basic level, NBA JAM is about scoring. Defense is a secondary thought in the video game. And so for an offensively challenged team like the Magic, it makes sense to put the two best scorers on the team together and just hope for the best.

Evan Fournier is probably the best shooter on the Magic this year. He is the top returning 3-point shooter. And he can get into the lane and finish at the basket.

Fournier averaged 17.2 points per game and shot 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. Those were solid numbers, but his efficiency suffered last year as he had to take on a larger offensive role.

Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

Nikola Vucevic is a good option at center too because he can step out and hit some jumpers. It would be nicer if he were a better 3-point shooter, something he tried to incorporate into his game last year. Vucevic averaged 14.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

So at least he would be solid collecting the few misses that occur in NBA JAM. And he took a career-high 75 3-point attempts last year. Assumedly he is working to add more to his game.

But this is not 2K’s Blacktop. You are not going to be able to pick and roll teams to death. In fact, I am not sure you can even pick and roll defenses in NBA JAM unless you are playing on the same team and you just mash the foul buttons to shove players out of the way.

Vucevic becomes a poor option for NBA JAM because he is not a great rim protector, so he will not get those crucial blocks that are essentially all you can do to get stops in the offensive-minded video game. And he is not a strong dunker. Neither is Fournier.

This is an eligible and strong team for the Magic because they are the best offensive options the team has. But this is not the team to go with. Fournier probably makes the cut if we are doing a three- or four-man roster. Unfortunately, Vucevic is just not the ideal center for a game like NBA JAM.