D.J. Augustin is not the Orlando Magic’s answer at point guard

Entering his second season as the starting point guard for the Orlando Magic, D.J. Augustin has yet to prove he can benefit the team on either side and help the Magic develop.

Point guard is the single most important position in the NBA.

The position is tasked with running the offense efficiently, handling the ball, limiting turnovers, scoring and winning, all while defending a similarly talented player trying to do the same.

Guard play is paramount in the NBA, with open offenses and fast-paced play. There is no question why point guards are the predominant star players in the NBA — they are the dynamic player leading the offense.

Look around the NBA — a star point guard leads almost every competitive team, or at least some strong ball handler and playmaker. This is not exclusive to just the viable contenders, most respectable NBA teams have very solid guard play. Players like Goran Dragic, Mike Conley, George Hill and Jrue Holiday are perfect examples.

To be a respectable NBA team and compete in April, in most cases, the team needs a solid guard.

D.J. Augustin, no matter how endearing he is when he dropped 20 points in a barrage of threes, cannot consistently provide solid point guard play. He will not be the starting point guard on a playoff contender.

While the Magic do not project as a contender or even fancy themselves as one, his point guard play will be detrimental to the team in more ways than just wins and losses.

Augustin is not an NBA defender, and with another year in the books, his defense has little chance to improve. With his small frame and lack of foot speed, Augustin fails to keep up with younger, faster, and more talented guards. According to Basketball-Reference, he has had a positive defensive box plus-minus just once in his career.

In 2016, Augustin allowed opponents to shoot 55.7 percent on 2-pointers, a difference of 7.5 points from league average. His defensive points saved was -91.19 and he has a defensive real plus/minus of -2.79, all well below league average.

His defense was a bit better in 2017. But it was still not enough to cut it as a NBA point guard, let alone a starter.

He allowed opponents to shoot 51.2 percent on his 2-pointers and had a defensive real plus-minus of -.67, still at a negative compared to league average.

While his effort on the defensive end surely was better than former Magic point guard Elfrid Payton, D.J. Augustin is still a detriment to a team who wants to be defense first. It will inevitably hold the team back at some point, even if the Magic value his consistency and steady play offensively.

Jerian Grant, the former Chicago Bulls guard acquired in the Bismack Biyombo deal, is set to be D.J. Augustin’s understudy this season. Jerian Grant has the height at 6-foot-4, length and athleticism to guard the NBA’s best.

He graded out as an average defender last year, with opponents shooting close to league average when he guarded them. While he has more tools on defense, he, in the most likelihood, will receive bench minutes as he has a limited offensive skill set.

Orlando likely took a flyer on him in that trade to see what he could develop into. But, at this point, he does not have the consistency to surpass Augustin.

Augustin, as the veteran of the two, is going to have to play major minutes at point guard. While defensively this is a concern, long-term, the offensive side is more important here.

Last year, Augustin averaged 10.2 points per game on a 55.2 percent effective field goal percentage. Augustin will be one of the team’s best 3-point shooters — 41.9 percent last year. But Augustin’s issue has always been putting two good seasons in a row.

It is easy to see Augustin is not the future point guard of the Magic, but he is also not the answer in the short term.

The Magic have spent almost all of their draft capital in the past few years acquiring athletic bigs, spending high-first rounders on Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon.

Bigs develop and play through point guard play, especially long athletic centers like Mohamed Bamba. These young bigs are not set to dominate the ball, and they rely on interior penetration and good ball movement — something Augustin will struggle to provide.

DeAndre Jordan is a perfect example of what could happen to Mohamed Bamba.

An athletic marvel, Jordan never seemed to take off on a lowly LA Clippers team. Jordan, in his first three years, scored more than five points a game only once. Star point guard Chris Paul joined the team for the 2011 season, just the year DeAndre Jordan seemed to take off and became a NBA star.

Paul is one of the best point guards in the league still. He makes other players better and the Clippers found some direction with him at the helm. Something the Magic have lacked since even a player like Jameer Nelson departed.

Augustin is not a great creator. He averaged just 3.8 assists per game last year. According to NBA.com’s numbers from Second Spectrum, Augustin averaged 7.8 drives per game. That was the lowest among the Magic’s point guards — Elfrid Payton and Shelvin Mack. He did have a team-high 13.4 percent assist rate off those drives.

It suggests Augustin was not a great creator off the dribble. Orlando likely would not put him in a role to create for others off drives. That would fall to other players, who may not be as natural doing so.

This leads to a question of how the Magic will generate offense and force defenses to collapse and open up the floor consistently.

With Augustin on tap as the primary ballhandler and distributor, the team is set for a season that will hurt the development of the Magic’s core. If Augustin cannot reliably get the ball inside to Bamba, and if he cannot create inside penetration, Bamba will struggle in his first year.

Augustin is simply not the answer.

He will hurt the team in the present with his poor defense and lack of distribution abilities. He will hurt the team long term by failing to put the young bigs in positions to make plays.

Another season with Augustin will be another lost season.