Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 26: All is new again

The debate over who should take the last starting spot for the Orlando Magic usually revolves around Jonathon Simmons. A lot of Magic fans are high on him. I cannot blame them too much for that. Jonathon Simmons is a really intriguing player.

Sure, he averaged only 6.2 points per game last year for the San Antonio Spurs. But more people point to what he did in Kawhi Leonard‘s absence. He posted 10.5 points per game in the Playoffs and 15.4 points per game and 44.8 percent field goal shooting in the final seven games of the Playoffs. Fans are most excited about what Simmons brings to the table.

It is more about the defensive attitude he brings to the game. The Magic have already noted how he has brought up the intensity of the team’s defense in practice. Simmons is likely going to knock on the door to start at some point this season. I do not anticipate the Magic sticking to the same starting lineup.

But, until I see some action on the court, I am not ready to pull the trigger and say Simmons should start. Or to expect him to start.

I still think Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier are the team’s starting wings.

Most of that is not so much a need for the Magic to improve their offense — they need to improve both their offense and defense — it is a trust in something that already works.

The Magic’s starting lineup last year to end the season — Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic — posted a +1.4 net rating. It had a 112.0 offensive rating and a 110.6 defensive rating.

Somehow the Magic put together a lineup that was absolutely killer offensively. The defense . . . it needed a lot of work.

But, it would certainly seem the lineup had earned some faith and deserved some chance to explore. As the Magic emphasized throughout training camp, familiarity with each other was a good thing and helped them grasp concepts quickly. There simply is not the time to drill down a defensive mindset in the middle of the season or practice defensive principles to the extent needed to be good.

Not to mention, the Magic completely changed their whole lineup makeup. Everyone could have used some drilling and reworking defensively to make it work. The Magic were trying to do the best with what they had.

Training camp is really the first time the team can work through the fundamentals of Frank Vogel’s defensive scheme.

This is why I lean toward Ross to start over Simmons still. It is just unclear to me — again, without having seen the Magic in action yet — whether Simmons can make such a widespread defensive impact without hurting the offense a ton.

In fact, if the defense is the concern, I might consider putting Bismack Biyombo in over Nikola Vucevic. Take Nikola Vucevic out of that lineup for Bismack Biyombo and the Magic are still a solid +1.4 net rating (although the defense is slightly worse, giving up 111.1 points per 100 possessions).

Overall with this team, I am still less concerned about the defense. I think giving Vogel a training camp to re-implement his defense will help this team tremendously. The problem for the Magic, despite that lineup’s success, will still come offensively.

My concern with taking Ross out of the starting lineup (at least for now) is that it would greatly reduce the floor spacing and the shooting in the starting lineup. Orlando still lacks a ton of shooting. Can Jonathon Simmons adequately spread the floor for Elfrid Payton to drive and for Aaron Gordon to operate in the mid-post?

A lot of that may depend on whether Vucevic has added a 3-pointer to his game and just how much Gordon has improved his shot.

I suspect there will be a stretch where Simmons is the starter for the Magic this season. I think he will take a leap in his game with a larger role — and in a much more wide-open offense.

At this point, my leaning toward Ross has more to do with trust than anything else. The Magic need to improve everywhere. For now, I want to go with what I know seemingly works.