Orlando Magic Top 30: The Most Under-Appreciated Player in Orlando Magic History
29. Marcin Gortat (2008-11)
Perhaps the most famous moment for Marcin Gortat was not something that happened on the court. Most of the famous moments that endeared him to Orlando Magic fans happened off the court.
They happened on local TV/Web show that featured Magic sideline reporter Dante Marchitelli and public relations official George Galante. In the Magic’s heyday, they were the comic relief to what always seemed like serious business, displaying the wild personalities on this team.
One of them was undoubtedly Marcin Gortat.
He could only help but laugh as the duo rose his Summer League jersey to the rafters of their small studio. And as they kept it there throughout the course of the show.
Or when they had Gortat stand in as a ticket sales representative, urging people to eschew watching Dwight Howard to come see him take on the Charlotte Bobcats. Or displaying his dunking skills, if only that mascot had not moved.
Gortat was a player who pulled himself up from obscurity to become a fan favorite. He was a second-round pick who spent several years in Summer League quietly impressing the team. He made the roster and had to fight for his opportunity behind a perpetually healthy Howard.
He finally carved out his role as Howard’s backup. But there was no chance he would ever start. When he hit free agency in the summer of 2009, the Orlando Magic deftly matched the Dallas Mavericks’ offer sheet to retain him, keeping a high-level backup for Howard.
Unfortunately for Gortat, when he did get the chance to start with the Phoenix Suns after a trade in December 2010, he never really proved himself more than a replacement-level starter.
Gortat has been solid since leaving Orlando both for the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards. But never spectacular. He sets strong screens and can block shots. He has played well into his 30s, something nobody probably anticipated when the Magic first acquired him.
There is something noble about the reserves on a championship team though. That is what endeared him to Magic fans.
What they probably forgot was how Gortat stepped up to score 11 points and grab 15 rebounds in a 25-point Game 6 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was perhaps the best game of his Magic tenure and the one that established him as a bona fide NBA player with starter potential.
Gortat always made the most of his time. Both on and off the court.