Orlando Magic finally get the legend of Janis Timma

NBA Twitter was buzzing about the Orlando Magic.

It was not merely Jalen Suggs’ block and the overtime win the Magic secured in the process. That is the main storyline of course for the team. The needed storyline for a franchise lacking a star player.

The Magic came to Las Vegas with the primary goal of helping their young players get their feet wet in the NBA. They wanted to see what they could do and what they could take with them into the beginnings of the season.

The secondary goal was to find players to fill out their roster and their two-way spots. One of those spots appears already filled with Josh Robbins of The Athletic reporting the Magic will keep Ignas Brazdeikis on a two-way deal.

That is not why the NBA world was buzzing.

They were buzzing about the 6-foot-7, Latvian tank that looked like he was booked out of central casting. It was hard not to notice Janis Timma flying around the court. It was not merely his distinctive look — slicked-back blonde hair like he was the villain from Die Hard: With A Vengeance and a tattoo sleeve that again feels right out of central casting.

What was perhaps more impressive was how Timma seemed to play exactly how he looks. He mixed it up for rebounds and pulled up for threes off the dribble with ease and comfort.

Janis Timma was acquired by the Orlando Magic back in 2015. At long last, he made his way onto the Summer League roster and is turning heads with his look and his play.

Timma had been doing this for years. It was no surprise he would do that as he made his long-awaited arrival to the Magic and their Summer League team at least as a start.

At long last, it is Timma time.

Timma had one of the more impressive games in the Magic’s 91-89 Summer League-opening win over the Golden State Warriors. He scored 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, making three of his five 3-pointers. He added six rebounds, including four offensive rebounds.

It was that hustle that stood out the most too. He seemed to be everywhere on the floor, flying in for rebounds to keep possessions alive and crashing into players to be physical defensively. His two blocks were impressive too. He sent one dunk back at one point, showing off impressive athleticism for a player of his size and, yes, his age.

The 29-year-old made the impression. And it was much more than the looks that seemed to set the Internet abuzz.

Timma looks the part and plays the part too.

"“The one thing that he showed was experience,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the Magic’s win Monday. “We talked about it is a Summer League game and our first game with all of these guys all together. But he has played for some time now and he’s got the experience. That’s what he showed there — his ability to make shots. It was again his resiliency and ability to sit down and guard and make the right plays.”"

Of course, none of it should have been unexpected.

The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Janis Timma back 2013 and traded his right two years later to the Orlando Magic to acquire Luke Ridnour. In that time, Timma has carved a varied and interesting international career.

Timma won the Latvian league’s Finals MVP and a championship in 2013, the summer before the Grizzlies drafted him. From there, he won another Latvian league championship after switching teams to VEF Riga.

He has since played in Russia for Zenit St. Petersburg, in Spain for Baskonia and in Greece for Olympiacos. That is where his career seemingly stalled a bit and he was loaned out to Khimki Moscow, where he played for the last three seasons.

Timma averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 42.2-percent from the floor and a 55.6-percent effective field goal percentage in EuroLeague competition. That includes making 37.5-percent of his 3-pointers. He averaged 3.1 rebounds per game.

In Eurobasket in 2017 with Latvia, Timma averaged 14.3 points per game and shot a 64.1-percent effective field goal percentage. That included hitting 27 points in a win against Belgium in the group phase and a 21-point effort in a round of 16 win over Montenegro.

Orlando Magic

That was four years ago, of course. But Timma still plays very much the same way. He is able to navigate screens and pull-up for threes or be a kick-out option to drain shots from the outside. Timma

Timma did all of that in his first game. His best offensive play came when he took a dribble hand-off at the top of the key and rejected the screen as the defense overplayed and drained a three.

As much as the Magic need 3-point shooting, and as key as shooting will be to Timma’s possibilities in the NBA, what really stood out was his work on the boards. It felt like Timma was everywhere on the floor.

Hard work and hustle is an easy way for any player to get noticed. Timma checked off those boxes. He seemed in the mix for every rebound and recovering to make an impact defensively. Orlando played a whole lot better and more cohesively when he and the bench unit came in the first quarter. The Magic won his minutes easily.

That is the kind of first impression he has to make.

That is probably not what most people are buzzing about. But the coaching staff is probably buzzing about that part of his game.

The fact that Timma finally agreed to come to Orlando and play for the Summer League team suggests he might be ready to test the NBA waters — and that the Magic might be interested in including him on the roster (Moritz Wagner is yet to sign his contract despite the reported two-year deal they agreed to).

And that makes his play during Summer League all the more urgent for him. He is trying to plot out the next phase of his career.

Indeed, Timma has slowed down some in Euroleague so it might be now or never for him to get his NBA shot. On top of that, Khimki reportedly has had some money issues and so his future with the team is even further up in the air.

But it is also clear Timma can shoot the ball and find his place somewhere on the court. He has the skills to find a clear role and the willingness to compete and mix things up defensively.

Timma, unlike Brazdeikis and his two-way contract, still has to prove himself a little bit more on the court. Another outing like he had Monday and the Magic will have a difficult decision on where to place Timma and whether they can squeeze some room in the roster for him (he is not likely to take a two-way contract).

Until then, Timma is continuing to generate buzz with his presence. Really, though, it is his basketball that is creating and demanding that attention.