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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Vol. 27: A new future for the Orlando Magic

By Philip Rossman-Reich

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 22: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes for a lay up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 22, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 22: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic goes for a lay up against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 22, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic, Dwyane Wade, Chicago Bulls
CHICAGO, UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 8: Evan Fournier (10) of Orlando Magic in action during a NBA game between Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, United States on November 8, 2016.(Photo by Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /

Getting an All-Star in this year’s All-Star Game is going to depend on the Orlando Magic being in the Playoff race. Not merely in the Playoff race, actually, they will probably need to be in pole position to make the postseason by late January — when All-Star votes were tallied.

When this question was asked, that was probably the case. Now that the Magic have gone through this losing stretch, getting an All-Star will be that much tougher.

Orlando, on its own, does not have an All-Star player on the roster. Or, at least, not someone anyone would think is an All-Star on his own. The berth on the All-Star team is essentially a team award. It would be an award for the team’s success.

So who would the coaches pick is the real question.

The easy answer is to take the team’s best scorer. That is the lazy answer. Evan Fournier is averaging 19.0 points per game. Aaron Gordon is at 18.0 points per game. Those are the likely two candidates for the Magic’s All-Star bid.

The fan answer is to take Aaron Gordon. His athleticism in that setting is something they would want to see. I am not sure the coaches go that way. But that would probably make the most sense.

If I were to pick a Magic All-Star today to represent this team, I would take Aaron Gordon. I respect Evan Fournier a ton — I am a big Evan Fournier fan if no one can tell by my spirited defenses of him. But Gordon represents this team. Both who it is and who it wants to be. And he just works best in the All-Star setting.

From a practical standpoint, Gordon has gotten coaches’ attention around the league. I think they have waited for Gordon to take this leap offensively. And to see him do it is the key storyline for this team.

It does not seem like Gordon is going to slow down. He is going to be a consistent player scoring near 20 points per game. And his shooting feels very real. It would be great to see him graduate from Saturday to Sunday in Los Angeles this February.

But that will depend on how the team plays.