2019 Orlando Magic Season Review: 5 questions for the Orlando Magic’s offseason
Can the Orlando Magic find a perimeter creator?
The NBA Playoffs expose your every weakness. The way teams can target opponents and exploit weaknesses is revealing. It comes down to individuals making plays to overcome them, but coaches will pull on any loose thread until the whole thing unravels.
That is exactly what happened to the Orlando Magic in their playoff series.
The Toronto Raptors blitzed screen and rolls and forced the Orlando Magic’s ball handlers to go wide and disrupt their timing in the offense. They could not deliver the ball to Nikola Vucevic in areas where he could score against a rotating defense. There were no shot makers and the Raptors could corral ball handlers into traps.
Once the Raptors put the bigger Danny Green on D.J. Augustin to keep him out of the paint, the Magic’s offense just died.
The biggest need the playoffs revealed was how much the Magic need someone who can create his own shot off the dribble without a screen and someone who can do that and get into the paint to create for others.
If the Magic are thinking about improving in any serious way, this is the top priority of things to add. And the prospect of losing Terrence Ross in free agency should only increase the urgency to find this kind of player.
There are a few candidates on the roster who might take this step up.
Aaron Gordon has a penchant for trying to create off the dribble. It is not his best play and he can overdribble to get into his shot. But he grew as a playmaker to average a career high in assists and his decision making and shot making were better.
The Magic could give him a bigger role in the offense if he is ready. Clifford trusts no one on the roster more (at least defensively).
Markelle Fultz also could be this kind of player if he returns healthy. Even while dealing with his shoulder injury, Fultz was good at getting into the lane and to the basket. He can dish the ball and, in college at least, he could hit shots over tough defense.
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Orlando surely will look to address this too throughout the offseason.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News is already reporting the Orlando Magic would be interested in acquiring New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday should he become available. Holiday works well at either guard position but is a tough-minded defensive player who can create his own shot and drive into the basket.
There is one idea at least. It is not clear if the Pelicans are ready to part with Holiday. There are at least some indications new general manager David Griffin wants to mend the relationship with Anthony Davis.
But this is the kind of move the Magic might have to make. And if they think Nikola Vucevic is gone, trying to find a way to improve the talent on the roster in free agency or in a trade would become even more important.
The top priority no matter what happens this summer is to find a player — either internally or externally — who can more consistently score off the dribble. This was exposed as the team’s biggest weakness.