Orlando Magic: 3 thoughts on hypothetical Russell Westbrook trade
2. Orlando has a typical Westbrook roster, with a Nikola Vucevic upgrade to benefit the former MVP
Russell Westbrook’s fit with the Orlando Magic is actually very intriguing.
He is used to playing with defensive-minded, role playing wings with the Oklahoma City Thunder (outside of Kevin Durant and Paul George, obviously), so transitioning to sharing the court with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac will not be an issue for Westbrook.
With Russell Westbrook’s massively high-usage in the mix, D.J. Augustin would switch to an off-ball role, which isn’t the worst thing at all for either. D.J. Augustin is a great shooter from deep, and has shot 42.0 percent on 3.7 3-pointers per game his last two seasons in Orlando. He knocked down 44.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season.
Westbrook played last season with an undersized guard last season with Dennis Schroder, but the latter is not the shooter Augustin is, which opens the floor for Westbrook. Gordon was a decent off the catch-and-shoot as well, knocking down 36.5 percent of his 3.1 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts last season.
When Westbrook is on the bench or wants to spend time off-ball, Augustin is capable of running some pick-and-roll of his own and keeping the Magic offense.
The real upgrade for Westbrook would be the upgrade offensively from Steven Adams to Nikola Vucevic. Adams is a behemoth on the boards and efficient in the paint, but Vucevic is the type of big and pick-and-roll partner that would open the floor for Westbrook so much.
Orlando Magic
Adams is not a good shooter and is no threat away from the basket with 92.2 percent of his shots coming from inside of 10 feet. On the contrary, 34.1 percent of Vucevic’s shot attempts are catch-and-shoot opportunities. He offers a pick-and-pop element that Westbrook does not have with Adams.
Westbrook’s transition-heavy game would boost Orlando’s 10.8 fastbreak points per game last season (25th in NBA). To put this in some context, Westbrook averaged 6.0 transition points per game by himself.
The Magic would be a better team, and Westbrook playing at his ultra-speed with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac attacking the rim as Terrence Ross jolts to the 3-point line is awesome. Pair that with Vucevic’s dominance in the halfcourt.
Orlando is a very good defensive team that should create transition opportunities that benefits somebody like Westbrook who aggressively pushes for those chances.
Closing lineups could fluctuate, and a top-seven of D.J. Augustin, Russell Westbrook, Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross and Al-Farouq Aminu has plenty of size and athleticism to play any style.
It would certainly make the Magic better now and in the near future.
They would be a fun, young team that offers a roster that will not be as talented as ones Westbrook has played with. But one that fits really well with his game, which was not always the case with the talented Thunder teams.