Orlando Magic Daily
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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: What’s left to do

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against the New York Knicks on February 22, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against the New York Knicks on February 22, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Khem Birch, Orlando Magic, LA Clippers, Boban Marjanovic
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 10: Khem Birch #24 and Wesley Iwundu #25 of the Orlando Magic box out Boban Marjanovic #51 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of the NBA game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 10, 2018 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. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

Without outright tanking… How should the Orlando Magic handle their current center rotation? How do they get Khem Birch minutes?

Jumani: They need to shut down Bismack Biyombo and give Khem Birch the backup center minutes. Birch showed a lot of promise when he was in the rotation. And he certainly deserves a shot to keep developing his game and improve on both ends consistently. Birch certainly has the potential to become a starting center in the NBA. He reminds me a lot of Dewayne Dedmon, both have had a long path to the league, but both are very serviceable players that fit the modern NBA.

Rossman-Reich: I think they need a specific plan on how to manage these minutes. Khem Birch should be getting minutes. Maybe not a ton… but he should at least get those backup center minutes. Something like 15-20 minutes per game. I would devise a rest plan to pinpoint games where veterans like Nikola Vucevic or Bismack Biyombo get games off to favor Khem Birch getting minutes. Really only two of the three should play every game. And as the season winds down, Birch should be guaranteed to be one of those two. At this point, I think Birch is a better backup option than Biyombo if the goal is to win anyway.

Henderson: I do not see what the problem is with tanking. The real issue is the selections from the draft, not the tanking. Once you realize that a season is lost you should try to get the best player in the draft and build, simple. They have to find minutes for Khem Birch, whether it is outrightly playing him for developmental reasons or to see what his potential could be. At this point, you have to find out if he can really be a consistent player in the rotation because he has shown signs that coach Frank Vogel likes to see on the defensive side of the ball. Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo have shown their potential and the team already knows what it has with those guys.