Orlando Magic Daily
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5 biggest snubs off the NBA2K18 All-Time Orlando Magic team

By Philip Rossman-Reich

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Rashard Lewis #9 and Hedo Turkoglu #15 of the Orlando Magic high five during Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 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 2009 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - JUNE 7: Rashard Lewis #9 and Hedo Turkoglu #15 of the Orlando Magic high five during Game Two of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on June 7, 2009 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 2009 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Mike Miller, Orlando Magic
ORLANDO – APRIL 30: Mike Miller #50 of the Orlando Magic rebounds the ball, during game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Charlotte Hornets during the 2002 NBA Playoffs at the TD Waterhouse, in Orlando, Florida on April 30, 2002. The Hornets won, 102-85. 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 Fernando Medina/Getty Images/NBAE) /

Mike Miller (2001-03)

It is hard to imagine why NBA2K left off one of the Magic’s few award winners off the Magic’s all-time team.

Mike Miller won the 2001 Rookie of the Year Award as a key part of the Magic’s run to the 2001 Playoffs and quickly established himself as one of the best shooters on the team. He was a perfect complement to Tracy McGrady — and Mike Miller and Tracy McGrady became fast friends.

In all, Miller averaged 14.1 points per game and shot a 50.6 percent effective field goal percentage in 2.5 seasons with the Magic. He shot 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. And he would prove he was just scratching the surface.

Miller was a solid player and a great shooter. One of the best in Magic history. And he certainly would have been if he had stayed with the team. Orlando traded him at the deadline in 2003 for Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek.

Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

The thing that is clear is the Magic’s depth of solid players does get thin. Miller is not someone who sticks out. And as far as star power goes, other players even on this list might make a bit more sense.

But Miller still won an award in a Magic uniform. His injury in the 2002 season knocked the team slightly off course (although the team finished fifth in the Eastern Conference that year, the highest of the McGrady era). It would have been nice to see what he could have done with a fuller career in Orlando. Neither Drew Gooden nor Gordan Giricek lived up to what Miller would become with the Memphis Grizzlies.

And this is where 2K’s logic seems to fall flat. Orlando clearly needed another wing player for their depth chart (instead of Brian Shaw) and Mike Miller was one of the players sitting there. Miller appeared in NBA2K17 as an active player with the Denver Nuggets and as a member of the historic collection with the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies.

In NBA2K18, Miller will appear on the all-time Grizzlies team. He seemed like he would be a great addition to the all-time Magic team, adding some much-needed shooting.

His overall historical impact may not be the greatest. But this is a guy who was Rookie of the Year with the Magic.