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Orlando Magic Top 30: The Most Under-Appreciated Player in Orlando Magic History

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Everyone remembers the Orlando Magic's superstars like Dwight Howard. What about players we don't talk about much like Jason Richardson? (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Everyone remembers the Orlando Magic's superstars like Dwight Howard. What about players we don't talk about much like Jason Richardson? (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) /
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Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Bobcats
While Orlando Magic fans know how important Hedo Turkoglu was for the team. His impact on the league is less noted but still felt. (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

11. Hedo Turkoglu (2005-09, 2011-13)

Hedo Turkoglu remains incredibly popular in Orlando. He is the hero of several games in the 2009 NBA Finals. And it was his departure that most Magic fans lament as the end of their title run.

That may not be entirely the case. Turkoglu did return to the team only two years later and he was nowhere near the player he was in that 2009 Finals run. There was always that tinge of nostalgia.

When we ran fan polling to find the most underappreciated player, Turkoglu won several days of polling, kind of defeating the point that he was underappreciated in any way. In Orlando, he is certainly appreciated for everything he did. His second stint with the Magic is completely forgotten.

So his placement on this list is about another aspect of being under-appreciated. It is about national perception.

Turkoglu probably gets remembered more for eating pizza and saying “Ball” repeatedly in a postgame interview as he struggled to find the right fit outside of Orlando. He is more of an oddball than anything else.

What national fans probably do not appreciate about Turkoglu was that he was one of the first of the new wave of point forwards. Really the first sort of point forward to reach the NBA Finals since Scottie Pippen.

Not that Turkoglu was as good as Pippen or that Pippen actually played point guard within the triangle offense.

Turkoglu was a key component of an offense that truly transformed the NBA. There were few teams running a 4-out offense in 2009. Turkoglu, operating as a point guard essentially helped unlock the best version of every player.

He could dish to Rashard Lewis in the corner, drive to the basket and finish over most small forwards or lob to Dwight Howard. And then he could kick out to Jameer Nelson to restart everything again if needed.

Turkoglu was veyr good in Orlando during the team’s title run. Much better than people realize. And perhaps only Magic fans truly appreciate that.