Steve Clifford is going to experiment with Orlando Magic lineups to find the best offensive mix

The Orlando Magic’s offense is going to be a mystery until they get on the floor. Coach Steve Clifford is going to experiment a bit to find that mix.

There are a lot of questions for the Orlando Magic as they piece their roster together and get ready for the 2019 season. As training camp inches closer, we will be sure to examine a lot of those questions facing the team.

The big question is just how coach Steve Clifford is going to manage developing players like Mohamed Bamba and still putting out his best lineup. That is probably coded language for playing veteran players he knows he can trust to help the team win.

Clifford indeed has a lot to manage. And, at the very least, he seems willing to experiment. Even if that experiment seems a bit. . . off to begin with.

Clifford sat down with OrlandoMagic.com’s John Denton for a wide-ranging interview (one we will probably reference at least a few more times here) and spoke about what he sees in the roster. He raised the possibility that he could play Nikola Vucevic and Mohamed Bamba in lineups together.

"“One of the things that I’m hopeful of – and I don’t know if it will be this way from Day 1 – but that we will have a package of offense set to put in where they can play together some, too. I think so much of that will be dependent on whether they can play together, which I think they can. Also, it will be about how quickly Mo develops. My thinking on younger players is that you put them into roles where they can play well and that starts with minutes. Give them a role to start where they can have success and then go from there. A lot of that will play out as we get started with camp.”"

Magic fans likely will have some nightmares about the thought of trotting out a twin towers lineup once again. Nikola Vucevic and Serge Ibaka were supposed to be a pair of shooting big men who could cover for each other defensively. That lineup did not work to say the least — the team had a -2.8 net rating when they were on the floor together.

Bamba and Vucevic would probably offer even less mobility than that lineup. But you cannot blame Clifford for trying to ponder ways to get his best players on the floor. That is what a coach is supposed to do.

On this similar vein, Steve Clifford suggested there might be situations where he plays D.J. Augustin and Jerian Grant together. That makes a bit more sense as Jerian Grant has the versatility to play both guard positions.

Training camp and preseason is the time for this kind of experimenting. And Clifford seems to have a lot of that he wants to do.

Camp will help Clifford figure out exactly what the Magic’s players can do and how best to deploy them. This likely will be part of his approach with the offense at least.

Clifford said defense is fairly straight forward. The team has its rules and principles to follow. And players have to do their best to stick to that structure. A lot of training camp will focus on teaching these rules.

He said his offense will be much more free-flowing.

In describing his offense, he said there will be a lot of ball movement and seeking matchup advantages. Steve Clifford praised Evan Fournier‘s shape and work ethic entering camp — among plenty others. Steve Clifford has spoken about how he likes Evan Fournier’s ability to work off screens and his shooting in the past. The Magic have a few weapons they can deploy.

But figuring out how to deploy them the best is still the big question facing the team. Especially since most consider the Magic having very limited offensive options this year.

With that in mind, no one could blame Clifford for being willing to experiment. The Bamba-Vucevic lineup might be going a bit too far — and it surely will get shot down in preseason if they try it — but now is the time to ponder the possibilities.