Orlando Magic Best of the Decade: The All-2010s Team

2 of 9

Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic

Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton were paired in an ill-fated plan for the Orlando Magic’s backcourt. (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Bench — Guards

Victor Oladipo (2014-16)

As the Orlando Magic tried to map out a new path for themselves, they centered first on the second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft in Victor Oladipo. He entered the league as an ace defender with a growing offensive game and tons of athleticism.

In three seasons with the Magic, he flashed a lot of that potential but never fully realized it. Whether it was poor coaching (likely) or just a young player finding his way in the league (also likely), Victor Oladipo never reached the heights he would with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.

Oladipo is one of the great what-ifs of this era of Magic basketball. Ultimately, he never lived up to his defensive capabilities and was too inconsistent offensively to be much more than what could have been.

Elfrid Payton (2015-18)

The Orlando Magic gave up a lot to get Elfrid Payton, sending the Philadelphia 76ers a first-round pick and the draft rights to Dario Saric. He represented the answer to the Magic’s desperate need for a point guard. But he was always an odd fit.

Pairing Elfrid Payton with Oladipo was probably doomed from the start considering both players struggled to shoot. But Payton still provided a ton of memories and strong play. He quickly ascended into the starting lineup and started racking up some crazy statistics throughout.

Payton averaged 11.1 points and 6.4 assists per game. Late in seasons, he became a triple-double machine it felt like. Granted, that was the frustrating part. His defensive reputation from college never carried over to the NBA. He gave up as many points as he created. And ultimately, the shooting struggles made it difficult for the Magic to continue with a point guard they invested so heavily in.

Arron Afflalo (2013-14, 2018)

When the Orlando Magic acquired Arron Afflalo in the vaunted Dwight Howard trade, nobody expected he would become the team’s first potential All-Star and most solid player. Arron Afflalo averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 44.2 percent from the floor in a mostly high-usage role. He was on the precipice All-Star Game with 18.2 points per game in 2014.

Afflalo was always miscast as the team’s top perimeter option. He was good at setting himself up in the mid-post and scoring. It was just all inefficient. That is what happens when a player is asked to do too much.

Afflalo was all grace whenever he was with the Magic. He helped teach a lot of young players to be professionals. And his return to the team in 2018 was a nice appreciation for Orlando as a franchise and as a city, even if his skill had tailed off considerably.