Orlando Magic 2019 Offseason: 5 biggest needs for Orlando Magic, and how to fill them

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Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 20: Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic handles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 20, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Perimeter Creation

The biggest takeaway from the NBA Playoffs series with the Toronto Raptors was how much the Orlando Magic struggled to generate good, clean shots.

The team tried to run through its sets and work through Nikola Vucevic. But the Raptors were able to swarm Vucevic, close off his usual passing lanes and the team was stymied and frustrated.

The best run of play for the Magic came in Game 1 when D.J. Augustin was able to dart in and out of the lane and score in the paint or dish out to the perimeter for open jumpers. The Magic’s ball movement was at its best in that game and then only had flashes of brilliance the rest of the series.

That was enough to make Game 3 interesting — Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross each had scoring binges in that game to keep things close — but it was hardly much more.

The Raptors figure out that by blitzing D.J. Augustin on pick and rolls and closing down passing lanes for Nikola Vucevic, they could choke out the Magic’s offense.

The team’s biggest weakness was apparent. The Magic had no one who could break the Raptors defense down off the dribble. They were constantly struggling to get any flow and make plays.

The playoffs in a lot of ways become about creating something out of nothing since teams know each other’s sets so well.

Orlando could not improvise off their basic sets when things turned south. And that made it difficult against an elite team like the Raptors.

Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

Someway somehow, Orlando needs to find a player who can create his own shot off the dribble. That, of course, has been something the team has searched for since Tracy McGrady left. Steve Francis, Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu, Vince Carter and Victor Oladipo have all come close to accomplishing this. But no one has become elite at that level.

The ultimate hope is that Markelle Fultz can be this player. So perhaps the Magic’s perimeter creator is already on the roster.

Markelle Fultz is a dynamic point guard who can attack off the dribble. Despite his injury issues, he has recorded a triple-double in his short career and is still an effective scorer off the dribble even with his TOS issues.

The Magic could also look to Aaron Gordon or Jonathan Isaac to improve on the perimeter too. Gordon ended up turning in a fantastic series offensively as he took more control of the offense later in the season. He was one of the clear positives of that playoff series.

But there is still free agency. If the Magic are looking to make a big splash in free agency as some expect, the team could find a big fish out there that can create off the dribble.

Even if it is not D’Angelo Russell, the team could seek out other creators like Ricky Rubio (at a cheaper cost) or Darren Collison to help boost the point guard position and create off the dribble more.

It is clear the Magic have to find someone who can beat their man one on one off the dribble to take the next step. This is probably the team’s most pressing need. And the most difficult to fill.