Orlando Magic point guards managing team as it works through injuries

The Orlando Magic are using their point guards to manage the team as it fights its way through an unusual amount of injuries. The results have been uneven.

The Orlando Magic offense was stuck against the Denver Nuggets last Friday. The team was struggling to move the ball and struggling to find rhythm and fluidity. That is when Aaron Gordon left the game with a concussion. The team’s difficult task to replace Evan Fournier got even larger with the team’s top scorer in Aaron Gordon now out.

The offense floundered and thinking about the next night in Atlanta became a huge chore. How would the Magic replace this scoring? How would they keep their rhythm and pace offensively?

These questions naturally fell on the Magic’s point guards — Elfrid Payton, D.J. Augustin and Shelvin Mack. They held the keys to the car and they would have to make sure everyone, including some players they had rarely played with on a NBA floor, was on the same page.

The results for sure, as expected, were mixed.

The Orlando Magic posted only a 91.6 offensive rating against the Denver Nuggets on Friday and then followed it with a 112.8 offensive rating against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Players had their ups and downs. Elfrid Payton scored 11 points and six assists on 3-for-10 shooting against the Nuggets and 11 points and three assists on 5-for-9 shooting against the Hawks.

While the Magic appear to be getting healthier and could welcome back several players soon, the team will still rely on its leaders at point guard to show the way right now.

"“The point guard and the coach have got to make sure you are running offense that makes sense for the personnel on the floor,” coach Frank Vogel said. “We’re not going to run the same type of plays for Wesley Iwundu that we run for Evan Fournier. We have less scoring on the wings, you’re going to play through Vuc more. It’s being intelligent with the playcalling.”"

D.J. Augustin had his inconsistency too. This responsibility does not lie solely with Payton.

Augustin scored six points on 1-for-6 shooting against Denver and eight points and 2-for-8 shooting against Atlanta. He added six assists in Saturday’s game. Shelvin Mack went scoreless in 12 minutes against the Nuggets. But he had his best game of the year against the Hawks with nine points and nine assists. Orlando opted to close the game with Augustin and Mack on the floor.

Clearly, Vogel was hunting for workable lineups in that game. Jonathon Simmons closed the game at power forward.

Those strange lineups put the Magic’s ball handlers and floor generals in the position of trying to get the most out of players they may not be familiar with and players who might not be playing familiar positions.

"“Just try to do my best,” Payton said. “We had a lot of funky lineups. Guys playing with guys they haven’t really played with. Just trying to play hard, play for your teammates, make plays for them. Those things kind of work themselves out.”"

There was certainly still a feeling out process. Elfrid Payton specifically singled out the strong play from Wesley Iwundu in Saturday’s game. The two have only played 17 minutes together this year in three games. It is safe to assume the majority of those came in Saturday and Friday’s games.

Orlando is slowly getting whole. The team called up Jamel Artis to join two-way signee Adreian Payne on the roster to go through practice. They returned to play in Tuesday’s game for the Lakeland Magic against the Windy City Bulls.

Augustin, who suffered a thigh contusion, returned to practice after sitting out Monday. So too did Nikola Vucevic after sitting out Monday. Gordon progressed to non-contact basketball drills in the NBA’s concussion protocols. He could be cleared to play Wednesday after shootaround before the game against the LA Clippers. Arron Afflalo sat out with back spasms.

Orlando’s long injured list is slowly getting smaller. And things will start to feel more regular.

Re-integrating those players will still fall on the Magic’s point guards to accomplish. It is the point guard who puts players in the right spot and manages the game. This has been a concern for the team all year with the up-and-down play and the injuries to that position itself.

Their responsibility in this time of the season is still pretty large.

"“Guys are out of their natural position,” Augustin said. “The point guards have to direct guys who may not know. We have to tell them where to go on offense. We have to be on top of our game and theirs to direct the team. We can obviously do better. I think we are doing good for the amount of guys we have out at those positions. We just have to keep playing hard.”"

There is still the risk that players will try to do too much to make up for the loss of other players. As Vogel noted, the Magic’s strategy has to change some. Orlando played a lot more through Nikola Vucevic and gave Jonathon Simmons more responsibility in the loss to the Hawks on Saturday. After some early hiccups and struggles, the team found its rhythm.

Still, at the end of the game, it felt like both Simmons and Vucevic were forcing their offense. Or the Magic were forcing their offense to Vucevic. The pressure to perform became fairly great and the team buckled.

The Magic in both games since Evan Fournier’s injury, the team has been screaming for a little bit of leadership at point guard. Someone to put the Magic back on the right track.

The key is to do what you would do anyway. Just to do it more aggressively and more prominently. That falls on the coach to design a gameplan and strategy to do that.

"“Everybody has got to stay within themselves but be a little more aggressive to carry the load,” Vogel said. “It has to be a team effort. I feel our guys are doing that.”"

The Magic may not have to do it for much longer.

Orlando will need its point guards to keep manning the helms. They will need to integrate players back into the fold or manage these new lineups better.

Next: Injuries or not, Orlando Magic must win in December

That is essentially the job for Payton, Augustin and Mack for the time being.