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2018-19 Orlando Magic Player Evaluations: Michael Carter-Williams

By Philip Rossman-Reich

The Orlando Magic played at a quicker pace under Michael Carter-Williams. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Orlando Magic played at a quicker pace under Michael Carter-Williams. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Michael Carter-Williams, Orlando Magic
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 30: Michael Carter-Williams #7 of the Orlando Magic protests a call during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 30, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2020 Outlook

When a player is on a minimum contract, that is typically a sign they are nearly out of the league. They are hanging on by a threat. Michael Carter-Williams certainly took that lifeline the Orlando Magic gave him and ran with it. He should have done enough to get a look somewhere at least on a one-year deal.

But a small sample size of 12 games is not going to completely convince anyone to invest too much in him. The Magic caught lightning in a bottle and used it as much as they could.

Can he get more than a minimum try somewhere? Absolutely.

Can he get more and how much? That is the big question for Carter-Williams. He found a very specific environment to work in and took off.

Teams thinking about signing him will have to consider his poor shooting and the struggles he has had throughout the league. His defense should be enough to get him a look. But nobody should rely on him as a starter. The Magic created the perfect role for him off the bench.

But even the Magic might be willing to wait him out. They have Markelle Fultz as the nominal backup point guard. Orlando certainly will need a quality third point guard — and perhaps a G-League two-way contract point guard as extra backup — in case Markelle Fultz’s injury issues flare up.

That feels like a role Carter-Williams can fill easily. It will just be about whether Carter-Williams gets other offers and just how much the Magic are willing to offer too.

This is a late-summer decision for the Magic. Finding a second or third point guard is likely something the team will look to fill after the heavy lifting of the offseason takes place.

Michael Carter-Williams will certainly be part of those considerations — as might bringing Isaiah Briscoe back. The team is not going to look past the player who helped the team so much this season.

But his future with the team is extremely uncertain.