Five things to watch from Orlando Magic Summer League

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The Orlando Magic’s Khem Birch dunks against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. The Magic won, 126-117. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) /

G-League stalwarts fighting for their spot on the roster

There are three players on the Orlando Magic main roster that spent significant time in the G-League that will rejoin the Summer League team. Wesley Iwundu, Rodney Purvis and Khem Birch should feel pretty safe about making it to training camp with the Magic. Whether they go beyond that is the bigger question.

None of that is going to get determined in this week in Vegas. These games and practices will not erase any goodwill they might have with the organization. Although the team has a new coaching staff so maybe they are all back to square one.

The focus here will go more on Birch and Purvis.

Birch had a strong showing in his limited minutes for the Magic last year, but he found himself buried in the depth chart. According to Basketball-Reference, Birch played 47 percent of his minutes at power forward.

Birch probably is not really a power forward. Not unless he develops a jumper. And, until the Magic make some trades and change the roster, he again finds himself stuck in a logjam at center.

He will have to show an improved feel on the offensive end to push through that logjam. All while providing that typically reliable defense.

Birch has a couple roles to fill in this Summer League. Not only is he playing for himself to try to push his way into the rotation in some way. But he also should provide a good challenge defensively for Mohamed Bamba in practice.

Birch is a perfect switching big for the modern NBA with his understanding of positioning in the pick and roll. Somehow the Magic have to play him.

Purvis too had a strong showing in the G-League for the Lakeland Magic, leading them in scoring with 20.5 points per game. He had the freedom in Lakeland to shoot a lot and he showed an improved 3-point shooting stroke.

That did not translate into his short stint with the Magic to end last season. He averaged only 6.0 points per game on 32.7 percent shooting and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. Purvis had limited minutes — 290 minutes in 16 games — so that is hardly a sample size to give up on him. His work in Lakeland all year suggests he can play a lot better.

But the Magic need to see that.

Purvis will get to training camp for sure. But his contract is non-guaranteed for next year. He has to prove himself capable of playing at the NBA level. If Purvis wants a clearer future with the team, he has to play well in Summer League.

He should get plenty of touches and shots to do so. Expect Purvis to play in all five games. As Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba get shut down, Purvis should get plenty of opportunity to play like he did in Lakeland to put up some numbers.