Orlando Magic Top 30: The Most Under-Appreciated Player in Orlando Magic History
4. Arron Afflalo (2013-14, 2018)
When the Orlando Magic were seeking a veteran to complete their roster in the summer of 2017, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman turned to a player he was familiar with. It was someone Magic fans were familiar with too.
What followed was a bit of surprising love from both the fan base and player. Arron Afflalo spent his entire year seemingly professing his love for Orlando and his appreciation for the franchise. At a time when the Magic were seemingly at their lowest, having someone who truly wanted to be in Orlando was meaningful.
Arron Afflalo did not do much that final year. He struggled to get into the rotation and his trademark mid-range game was phasing out of style and losing some of its luster. Afflalo was not the same player he was.
But what is often forgotten was how good Afflalo was in a Magic uniform, albeit on some decidedly bad teams. He was a picture of consistency in a time when the Magic had a lot of uncertainty.
In his first two-year stint with the Magic, he averaged 17.4 points per game and shot a 50.2 percent effective field goal percentage. He was nearly an All-Star in 2014, averaging more than 18 points per game.
If the Magic were competitive at all, he probably would have made the showcase game.
I picked Arron Afflalo for this round. The number of games that he started as well as the field goals made per game and points per game between 2012 and 2014 were remarkable on what has been two of the best seasons of his career although he played for Magic non-contending teams.
— Ricardo J. Ortiz (@rjortiz26) August 23, 2019
The Magic in those days lacked consistency as they tried to piece together all the young players they were accumulating and trying to figure out how they all fit together. Asking Afflalo to be the team’s leading scorer and a top offensive option was always too big for him. He was not really that kind of a player.
That was always the issue with those early teams.
But there is something to appreciate about a player who does his job every day and puts up consistent numbers even in a bad or less-than-ideal situation. Afflalo was that guy.
The fans and the player got to share some appreciation during that make-good year in 2018.