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

9. Terry Catledge (1990-93)

Quick quiz.

Who was the leading scorer for the inaugural Orlando Magic team?

That answer should be obvious because of the header on this slide. It was indeed Terry Catledge.

The fact that this is a piece of trivia that would stump a lot of Magic fans is saying something. And is kind of exactly what this list is about.

Reggie Theus was the guy who brought some star power to the team. Nick Anderson was a rookie who was not quite ready to become the scorer in the post. Catledge ended up taking the mantle on this spunky expansion team.

Catledge finished the year with 19.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. That is just a solid season no matter the circumstances.

But even history would forget Catledge.

The memorable moments for that team fell to Otis Smith’s game-winning baskets against the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. And he would eventually become the team’s general manager.

Fans would likely remember players like Scott Skiles and Nick Anderson, who became mainstays on the team’s rise to title contention, over a player like Terry Catledge.

It was not even that Catledge played only one year, he was with the Magic for several years. He averaged 14.8 and 14.6 points per game in his two other seasons in Orlando. He was a productive player, albeit still a bit of a tweener in a league that was not friendly to positional tweeners.

Catledge was a solid player. Someone who took advantage of the opportunity on an expansion team. He got phased out as the team began really building its future. Injuries slowed him too. But he should not get forgotten to history.