5 questions the Orlando Magic need to answer at Summer League

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 13: Amile Jefferson #10 of the Minnesota Timberwolves goes to the basket against the Denver Nuggets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 13, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Is Amile Jefferson ready for more?

Whenever anyone asked coach Steve Clifford about Amile Jefferson, his eyes lit up.

Jefferson was the kind of player that coaches love. He works hard and embraces the grind. He is a player who practices hard and does a lot of the little things.

Clifford continually said Jefferson is a player he would trust on the floor. The problem was always finding the time and situation to put him out there. Jefferson was sort of the ultimate tweener. He really would struggle to defend power forwards and he is probably too small to defend centers.

Jefferson is still fighting for his spot in the NBA.

He has pretty much graduated from the G-League already. He dominated for the Lakeland Magic, averaging a team-best 18.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. That is the third straight year he has turned in such a stellar run in the G-League.

And he will almost certainly have another strong run in Summer League. Jefferson is a double-double machine at these levels of basketball.

But he has not broken through to the NBA. He did not play any meaningful minutes across his 12 games. It is hard to judge what he did.

But the coaching staff liked him and liked his approach. He is continuing to knock on the door of the league. It is hard to imagine him getting a second two-way contract — more because why would he go through the whole process again?

Jefferson needs to find the right situation. That is still pretty difficult. It probably is not with the Magic who remain crowded in the frontcourt and especially at center.

He has to prove himself all over again.

Jefferson is probably too good to be a two-way contract player. He has graduated past that point. Now he has to prove he can do a whole lot more. Summer League will be a big chance for him to do so once again.