The Orlando Magic had to be patient again this summer. Still, fans were disappointed the point guard spot did not get addressed. But it is just the start.
No one expected the Orlando Magic to solve all their problems in one summer. With limited cap room to spend in free agency, a draft pick that fell just outside the top group and a returning roster that won just 25 games, maneuverability was going to be tough for Jeff Weltman.
The team hopes there will be a general improvement from last year simply because the team is healthy. A full year of Jonathan Isaac and Terrence Ross should make the team better. But are they both enough to help the Magic improve by 10 games — let alone the 18 games between them and the final Playoff spot from last year?
Not likely.
The Magic have their work cut out for them just from the talent on the roster. Not to mention the difficult schedule to start the year and a new coach in Steve Clifford to get used to.
There were still needs Magic fans hoped the team would address this offseason. With where the Magic are at, they probably needed a bit of everything. But with Jonathan Isaac as a young player worth developing (even in his limited time as a rookie) and Aaron Gordon likely to sign a new long-term deal, the Magic already had a few positions filled.
Everything else is rightly up in the air. At least for now, it feels like the Magic have at least serviceable starters in Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic.
Quickly many believed all the offseason focus for the Magic should have turned to find someone to fill that point guard spot.
There was a palpable disappointment when the Magic did not use either of their second-round picks on a point guard. Even more disappointment when the team did not use the mid-level exception on a point guard. And probably a bit more when the team passed on the chance to sign Isaiah Thomas and install him as a temporary star and primary scoring option for this young team.
The reasons for all of those decisions is certainly debatable. Orlando seemed less concerned with adding someone to make this year a Playoff year rather than keeping the team positioned for the long-term future and developing the kinds of players they want in a system they are comfortable with.
Only time will tell what that decision means. Clearly, the goal was not to address the team’s needs fully at this point.
The Magic acquired two other point guards, but neither is likely to move the needle.
Orlando picked up Jerian Grant in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls. He has been a career backup who has struggled to find his place in the NBA in the early part of his career. And then the team picked up Isaiah Briscoe, who was playing in Estonia last year and has largely been off of NBA radars.
The Magic will go into the season with D.J. Augustin as the starter. He is a consistent veteran but not someone anyone projects as a starter. Point guard certainly remains a major weakness for the Magic. Orlando is not likely to fix these problems this year. Orlando is going to manage with what they have.
But the team’s questions at point guard are hardly the only reason the Magic may struggle this year. It was not the only area the team needed — and really did not — address this offseason.
The Magic finished 25th in the league in offensive rating, scoring 102.8 points per 100 possessions. They ended up 21st in effective field goal percentage (51.2 percent) and 28th in 3-point field goal percentage (35.1 percent). Those are all very poor offensive signals.
Orlando would like to point to the strong offense it had in the first 12 games. But that is a small sample size that everyone knew would not last. The cracks were already showing even before Isaac went down with the sprained ankle.
The Magic have done very little to improve their offense. They are relying on largely the same cast of characters that finished with a bottom-10 offense last year, a bottom-10 offense the year before (101.2 offensive rating, 29th in the league).
Orlando was even in the bottom 10 offensively after the Terrence Ross trade (102.9 offensive rating, 26th in the league after the All-Star Break).
Evan Fournier is a fine offensive player. Nikola Vucevic can score effectively too. And Aaron Gordon is growing offensively too. But that combination has not created an effective offense. And Clifford is not exactly known for his offensive acumen from his time as the head coach of the Hornets.
This again is all to say, the Magic left another key need unaddressed. The team lacks any true creator or go-to scorer. Unless Gordon or Isaac grow into one in the short term. A lot of the Magic’s improvement will come with the improvement of those players.
Orlando did not add any players who are strong offensively either. Mohamed Bamba is best described as raw on that end with his improving jumper and 3-point shot. But his strength his rookie year will come mostly on defense. Melvin Frazier does not have much of an outside shot.
Isaiah Briscoe was known in his time with the Kentucky Wildcats for his scoring ability. But sort of like Jonathon Simmons when he arrived in Orlando, he was known more for creating for himself.
It seems far-fetched to believe Gordon will take a big enough leap to transform the Magic’s offense. And Ross’ return certainly is not enough to put the Magic’s offense over the top. He was struggling to shoot before his injury despite the gravity he might have had.
It, therefore, seems unlikely Orlando will be much of an offensive force next year too. In a league that is pushing scoring to new limits and relies more on 3-point shooting than ever, this will make it tough for Orlando to keep up on most nights.
Orlando Magic
Maybe a better point guard would fix these things. This was at least the idea behind the push for Thomas, to begin with.
Augustin is serviceable. He is coming off a strong season last year where he averaged 10.2 points per game and shot a 55.7 percent effective field goal percentage.
No one will confuse Augustin for a long-term answer. It is even difficult to say he is anything more than a spot starter. Augustin will certainly provide the most consistency of any of the Magic’s other point guard options.
But the team is still woefully short there. It will trickle down and hurt the offense which the team also did not address. If there is a disappointment in the summer, it comes there.
The truth is Orlando is still largely figuring things out. The team is not a complete picture. Far from it.
The Magic are still assembling the important pieces. It is easy to see the team is still trying to find its direction. But the team has not quite taken any major steps in that direction. Although they have taken steps where they can — see drafting Bamba and adding the length they did through Frazier and Grant.
Weltman likely recognized this as he addressed where to improve the team this year. He did not see the need to take on the biggest issues all at once. He could work on them gradually when the right opportunities come around.
It seems he has the luxury of being picky with the players he chooses. The team is not facing winning pressure to go out and spend — even what little the Magic had to spend.
But that leaves this year a little short. Orlando still has some major deficiencies that it will try to resolve. They were never going to happen all in one year.
Yes, the Magic have some clear holes to fill. Point guard is certainly the most obvious. And they will get to them in time. Now was not the time for Orlando to solve them, at least in Weltman’s estimation.