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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Summer League Takeaways

By Philip Rossman-Reich

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns and Mohamed Bamba #5 of the Orlando Magic look on during the game during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns and Mohamed Bamba #5 of the Orlando Magic look on during the game during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba, Orlando Magic
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 6: Jonathan Isaac #1 and Mohamed Bamba #5 of the Orlando Magic look on during the game against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

What is the biggest takeaway you have from Summer League? What did you see from this past week that will translate to October?

Spencer R. Henderson (@SpencerRHenders): The biggest takeaway from Summer League is how well Mohamed Bamba and Jonathan Isaac look on the court together. Defense is clearly going to be a key element to winning any games this year.

I think that defense is the only thing that will translate to October. Now that the Orlando Magic have three elite defenders in Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and Mohamed Bamba, the focus now has to be on finding offense from somewhere on the roster. This is the “Big 3” for the Magic this year and Steve Clifford will have to get the most out of each player individually.

Gordon needs to lead this group in scoring and of course, dunks. He is already one of the best athletes in the NBA and if Gordon can improve on last years statistics he could elevate himself into the Eastern Conference All-Star conversation.

Philip Rossman-Reich (@philiprr_omd): My biggest takeaway is just how good the defensive potential with Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba can be. Yes, the Orlando Magic had a lot of solid defenders on the roster who played very well. But the team was heads and tails better defensively with Bamba and Isaac on the floor.

They just dominated and made some really good players look poor. Jonathan Isaac locked down Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mohamed Bamba’s presence was noticeable. That is really all the Magic wanted. There will be fits and starts this rookie year, but that future projects nicely.

Zach Palmer (@FmrTankCommandr): My biggest takeaway from this week is that I realized the Orlando Magic just do not really think Summer League play helps their players very much.

When the Magic decided to close the Orlando Summer League in order to showcase their players and allow them to feel an experience similar to an NBA game, I was hopeful the Magic as an organization were going to go all in on the Summer League. Well, as we noticed, after the third game, the Magic shut down their two best players in Jonathan Isaac and Mohammed Bamba.

Additionally, they played it safe with Isaiah Briscoe and Justin Jackson as far as injuries are concerned. I am not sure why the Magic do not believe these players can benefit or if they are just petrified at the thought of injuries, but it is interesting to see teams like the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks value Summer League experience a whole lot different than the Orlando Magic do.