The top 10 individual Orlando Magic season performances
9. 2009 Hedo Turkoglu
| Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 29 | 77 | 36.6 | .413 | .356 | .478 | .807 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 2.6 | 16.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/23/2020.
Hedo Turkoglu is a fan favorite here in Orlando still to this day.
One of the more likable characters in Magic history, we would place him up there with Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, Jeff Turner and Rony Seikaly among others as just seemingly genuine people who were so easy to get behind and cheer.
Especially in Hedo Turkoglu’s case because he had that going for him plus, he was a leader and helped carry the Magic to a Finals appearance.
The Magic finished with a 59-23 record with the 3rd seed in the East heading into the postseason. Magic fans will always remember his heroics in the Playoffs — not to mention his big shots elsewhere throughout his time.
The Magic sent three All-Stars to Phoenix in 2009. But Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis both said they were missing one. They believe Turkoglu deserved the All-Star nod that year too.
The numbers certainly back that up with Turkoglu averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. He helped revolutionize the ball-handling position, taking over the playmaking duties late in games.
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Teams could not handle a 6-foot-10 player running pick and rolls with Dwight Howard.
January 29, 2009: Hedo Turkoglu put together a double-double against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers who were 35-9 at that point in the season. You could sense another level of play in Turkoglu in those big games as he handled pressure wonderfully with so much attention being drawn to Howard. The Magic would go on to defeat the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals that year.
The Magic eventually fell short in the 2009 Finals though. Turkoglu had a key block in Game 2 that nearly set up his game-winning pass to Courtney Lee. That too fell short. Turkoglu averaged 18.0 points per game as one of the few players who acquitted himself well in the five-game series.
Turkoglu came close to making the All-Star Game too in 2008 when he averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He shot 52.4-percent effective field goal percentage. The Magic really unlocked something unique in how the Magic used their bigs.