10 observations from the Orlando Magic’s first 10 games
7. Searching for a Star
Fans are the ones who obsess over All-Star bids and everything else. Wins will ultimately take care of that and place someone in the game or to receive that honor.
Still, this year had the promise of potentially two All-Star candidates. For the Orlando Magic to become the team competing for home-court advantage and take that next step, they needed Nikola Vucevic to continue playing at his All-Star level as a fulcrum for the offense. But they also likely needed Aaron Gordon to take his next step and be a more commanding presence in the offense.
Roles were always going to change and adapt to this new reality. Players grow and they are going to continue developing. Orlando needed their younger players to start taking control.
Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz have at least looked promising. But Aaron Gordon has struggled in this role.
Gordon is averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting 27.8 percent from beyond the arc. His assists are down as are his rebounds. All of his counting stats are down. The only thing he has improved on is his overall efficiency in his effective field goal percentage.
Orlando Magic
Still, Gordon has had a penchant for reverting back to his one-on-one basketball ways. And he is struggling to finish at the rim as he seeks out contact.
Gordon is getting good shots around the basket but he is missing them. And that is the problem for Gordon. He has to do a better job keeping the ball moving and trust that the ball will find him.
That is when the Magic’s offense has been most effective. That has been when Gordon was most effective.
His best game was against the Dallas Mavericks when he scored 21 points in the first half. A lot of those baskets came in transition and off of cuts. That is where Gordon should get the majority of his points — not off the dribble.
Gordon has shown an improved post-game and a better mid-range pull-up and turnaround. It is not that Gordon has not gotten better. He is just not playing at the same level and understanding offensively that he showed last year.
Couple this with Vucevic seeing a slight decrease in his production and the Magic are in a bit of trouble offensively with their two best offensive attackers and fulcrum points struggling to return to their level from last year.