The top 10 individual Orlando Magic season performances
5. 2009 Jameer Nelson
| Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 26 | 42 | 31.2 | .503 | .453 | .580 | .887 | 3.5 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 16.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/23/2020.
This was a wild year for Jameer Nelson.
He only played in 42 regular-season games due to a shoulder injury in February. But he still put in one of the special seasons in Magic history.
He scored 16.7 points per game and shot 45.3 percent from 3-point range which puts him into elite territory. The feat has only been done a handful of times in the NBA. It helped Nelson earn his lone All-Star bid in his career and turned the Magic into a contender once again.
He was a closer of games for the Magic and the level of play early on from Nelson was paramount to Orlando’s position in the playoffs.
Nelson had several key performances. None were probably better than his run in January.
He made all five of his 3-pointers in scoring 23 points and dishing out 11 assists in the Orlando Magic’s record-setting performance against the Sacramento Kings.
His masterpiece came the next outing in Los Angeles. Nelson scored 28 points and eight assists in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Nelson hit several big shots in the fourth quarter to deliver the win over the team’s future Finals opponent.
That game as much as any other proved Orlando could compete for a title.
The Magic were 32-10 with him in the lineup. And he might have been the difference in winning that Finals series if he had stayed healthy. The Magic’s winning percentage with him in the lineup was over .700. Again, this was 2009 so Orlando was a powerhouse that year, but nevertheless he made them better.
Nelson would return in the finals that season from injury but played minimal time and was not the same.