2017-18 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Jamel Artis

The Orlando Magic engaged in the two-way contract experiment, testing things out with Jamel Artis. Artis proved himself NBA worthy, but still needing more.

The two-way contract was an experiment this season. No one really knew how it would work or how to get the most of it.

Most teams put the contract with young players — many rookies — who needed a bit more seasoning at the G-League level. They were guys they hoped to call up to the main roster by the end of the season. But there were hits and misses throughout the league. The mechanics of the two-way contract are still something to sort out.

While almost every team took advantage of both two-way contracts available to them, there were successes and failures in the process. As there would be with any first-run experiment.

The Magic’s two two-way contracts were a mixed bag. They featured two fairly promising players who fit the profile of the modern NBA in many ways. But neither could quite get over the hump. They clearly needed their time in the G-League. One was cut largely for mistakes he allegedly made in his past. The other continued the grind.

And at the end of the season, he got his chance. Whether he did enough with that chance is still difficult to figure out.

Jamel Artis was not a member of the Orlando Magic through the summer. There was no progress to chart from the summer to the G-League to the main roster. He impressed in his Summer League showing with the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-7 forward had the size and the ability teams wanted. He needed to improve his skills — especially his shooting to make it.

There was more than enough there to invest one of these new tools in him.

And Artis quickly thrived at the G-League level for the Lakeland Magic. He averaged 19.5 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 34.0 percent from beyond the arc. He was solid in the G-League.

Perhaps not as solid as Rodney Purvis — who would get a full 10-day contract and a two-year deal by the season’s end — or Troy Caupain on that team. But he was a solid player through and through.

The Magic opted to call him up for good at the end of the G-League season. And that gave them a better look at what he could do. But that look also felt incomplete.

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Generated 4/22/2018.

Artis averaged 5.1 points per game on 39.2 percent shooting and 27.6 percent from beyond the arc in 15 appearances for the Orlando Magic this season. Playing heavier minutes at the end of the season during the final 10 games, Artis averaged 6.8 points per game and shot 43.5 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

It was not the most impressive run of play. Artis did not display much of the same scoring acumen he had in the G-League at the NBA level.

His 3-point shot still had a long way to go. He had a solid in-between game. But Artis was not making much of an impression or impact offensively. By the end of the season, it was hard to get a sense of what Artis was and who he could be. There was never a big standout moment.

Artis has the build and size that a team would want in a NBA wing. But he still has to develop his jumper. Defensively, he seemed to be fine. He has that build the team wants. But without that shooting element, it is hard to get much of a handle on him.

He still had some bright moments. Artis is right on the fringe of the NBA, he just has to get his shot more consistent to have a real chance. Especially playing more off the ball.

Against the Dallas Mavericks late in the season, Artis scored 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Here he had his full game on display. The deadly mid-range jumper that helps make him a bit of a unique player, if not an overly efficient one.

He scored those 18 points, but still did not seem to make a blip on the radar overall. When you are a player at the end of the bench, you have to do what you can to stand out. And Artis, despite his physical tools and his ability blended too much into the background.

Artis was successful within the flow of the offense — a favored phrase from coach Frank Vogel. Artis found a fit in that regard. He found a way to make himself valuable and useful to the team.

But that is not what he had to do as a guy on a two-way contract. He needed to find a way to stand out and show he had a fully developed NBA skill.

Artis will likely get a shot somewhere. He may end up on the Magic’s Summer League team again. He may end up in the G-League again. But it is hard to say he was successful in his two-way contract. He remains on the NBA fringe.

It is not clear what direction he or the Magic will go this summer.

Jamel Artis clearly was good enough for the G-League. He was one of the Lakeland Magic’s best players. He was the exact kind of player who should have been on a two-way contract. But that does not mean he was meant for the NBA. Not at this moment at least.

Artis clearly has some skills to remain on the NBA fringe. Whether he makes it to the league will be dependent on how he develops his skills further. Artis has to continue to make his 3-point shot better. That is the big thing holding him back.

If he becomes a more consistent spot-up shooter, than his driving and mid-range shooting ability will become more pronounced. And then he can fully display his defensive skills. That does not mean he has the potential to be a first option or even a heavy rotation player. It just means he can make himself a more valuable skill player.

That is all still possible for Artis. The opportunity will be there for him. If he wants to go for another two-way deal or go through the Summer League ringer again. In all likelihood, he will at least do the second option. Whether another two-way contract is what he wants is another matter.

Artis showed he was good enough to remain on NBA radars this season. But beyond that, it is hard to know a whole lot more.