2017-18 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Marreese Speights
Final Grade
What were the expectations for Marreese Speights?
His job was to make 3-pointers when he was in the game. Space the floor for others. Step in and take the occasional charge — he was seventh in the league with 19 charges drawn. That was about all anyone could hope from him.
Asking him to play regular rotation minutes was probably not the ideal. But if he earned those minutes so be it. The important thing with him — and this is true for any point of his career — is that his offensive contributions have to outweigh what he takes away on the defensive end.
And that is because Speights just is not going to give you much defensively, outside those charges. He just was not going to be bothered to chase cutters. He can be engaged when he is on the ball, but he does not have the lateral quickness to keep anyone in front of him.
But he can shoot it and shoot it well enough to stay on the floor.
In the end, Speights’ shooting percentages were not nearly as good as the perception of him might be. There did reach a point where Speights’ offense was not paying the bills his defense was writing. And that was the point where his role had to diminish.
Still, for what the Magic paid for him and what the Magic expected from him, it is hard to say they did not get more than they bargained for.
Speights was a solid and reliable shooter all year long. He was a good presence in the locker room. That is about all the team could ask from him.
And so Orlando got all they could out of Speights. Was it enough to get him another contract? That is probably not. The NBA wheel keeps spinning.
Next: 2017-18 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: D.J. Augustin
But Speights did all he could for the Magic.