The Next Biggest Questions
6. How will Steve Clifford break the lineup?
The Orlando Magic struggled mightily throughout the early part of last season. Coach Steve Clifford was still getting a feel for his new team and how to use them. Everyone was getting used to how things would work moving forward for the team.
Clifford was pretty adamant about keeping a nine-man rotation throughout the season. But his decisions early in the year were less than inspired. Then again, he did not have a lot of options.
Starting the year with Jerian Grant and Jonathon Simmons as the primary backup guards proved disastrous for the team. The bench lineups in the early part of the season were just terrible.
It took Clifford more than half the year to find a lineup and a rotation that worked. It started with changing the point guard — going to Isaiah Briscoe and then supercharged when the team went with Michael Carter-Williams. Replacing Mohamed Bamba with Khem Birch helped a lot too.
But the biggest change was splitting up the rotation. Playing Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier with those groups to start the second and fourth quarters proved a huge boost to the team.
Clifford has said throughout the preseason that one of the big issues for the team has been when they break the starting lineup. Orlando has struggled to find a strong second unit rotation. Then again, the Magic were likely playing platoons in the preseason.
But Clifford will have to work quickly to find the right rotation. Hitting on that mark can change a lot of things for the Magic.
King James Gospel
7. What will Mohamed Bamba’s second season look like?
By at least some statistical measures, Mohamed Bamba was one of the worst rotation players in the league last year. It is fair to say that replacing him in the lineup with Khem Birch helped the team out tremendously. Birch’s consistency on defense was a major plus for a team building up its defensive reputation.
But Orlando is not about to give up on their 21-year-old long-limbed center. They invested a sixth overall pick in him for a reason. They are not about to change course. And Clifford has confirmed Bamba will get the first shot at being the backup center.
Bamba will have to show significant improvement and understanding defensively especially to make a difference this year. That will surely come with experience. After missing 20-plus games last year with an injury, it is clear Bamba is still getting back to NBA speed and understanding the league as a whole.
That is all natural for a young player. He will still make mistakes. But the Magic certainly want to see him take some positive steps forward. They want to see him look like a player ready to contribute and grow.