2019 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: D.J. Augustin
What Could Go Wrong
There is a lot that could go wrong. If the Orlando Magic had playoff ambitions, starting and playing D.J. Augustin is an incredible risk.
As good as Augustin played individually last year — especially after the All-Star Break where he averaged 12.8 points and 5.0 assists per game on a 59.7 percent effective field goal percentage — it was hard to say he caused a significant positive impact.
The Magic had a -4.0 net rating with Augustin on the floor all of last season and a -5.2 net rating after the All-Star Break. There is always a lot of noise with those statistics, all those effects cannot be directly attributed to Augustin. He had to play with plenty of lineups that struggled — and this was a 25-win team anyway.
But it is still pretty telling that the Magic were not much better with D.J. Augustin on the floor as opposed to former starting point guard Elfrid Payton.
It is easy to say Augustin is consistent — he is. But it is harder to say he is impactful.
And the Magic lacked urgency even to give Augustin some challenge for this position.
Orlando’s decision to go after Jerian Grant, an unproven journeyman even at the end of his rookie contract, and Isaiah Briscoe, a player trying to make it back in the NBA after spending time overseas, showed the team was fairly content.
They missed an opportunity to address the position — even in the same way they did last year when the Magic brought in Shelvin Mack to challenge D.J. Augustin for backup minutes.
There is a fair criticism for Jeff Weltman and company for not doing something to address the situation. That is unless Jerian Grant is a much better player than everyone believes. Which, of course, is possible.
The biggest issue is Augustin is probably best as a backup point guard holding reserve units steady in the same way the Magic want him to hold the starters steady.
While his production ultimately will increase when he gets more minutes, it probably is not where he is best used. Like so many other problems the Magic face, Augustin is likely going to get asked to do more than he is capable of.
Augustin is not going to complain about it. What makes him valuable and what makes him worth keeping around is that he will just go in and do his job. And, if he plays anywhere near what he did last year, he will play his best.
But as those stats suggest, his best may not be enough to make the kind of positive impact the Magic need at point guard.