Orlando Magic Training Camp Battles
Full Rotation
Former Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford always made it clear whenever he was asked about some player who played well but was struggling to get consistent minutes (it was mostly Wesley Iwundu) was that he did not want to put a player in for so short a time that they cannot develop a rhythm.
Clifford was not someone who believed in throwing players in just to throw them in. He always said he wanted to keep a tight nine-man rotation, only expanding it to 10 last year because of concerns over the fatigue of the shortened season and the injuries the team suddenly faced.
Nobody knows what kind of rotation Jamahl Mosley wants to run or how expansive it will be. But the Magic have a bit of a roster crunch. It is one that everyone has seen coming for a while. Nobody had an answer for it then.
But some answers have to come. And that is what training camp is going to be for.
The Magic can probably claim they have 12 and maybe 13 players who should at least be on the periphery of a NBA rotation. Two are going to be limited in training camp in Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz. So perhaps this issue will be delayed temporarily.
Orlando is not going to be able to play all those players when they are healthy. Someone is sitting out.
It is safe to assume that one of Robin Lopez or Mohamed Bamba (whoever loses the battle discussed above) is going to be out of the rotation for most of the year. Michael Carter-Williams may also struggle to stay in the rotation.
But that still gets you to 10 or 11 players. That is still a really stretched rotation. And someone might have to sit out more often than not until injuries begin to set in. It could well be one of the younger players.
The Magic could end up sitting one of R.J. Hampton or Franz Wagner getting fewer minutes than anyone expects. That is probably not completely fair. They both should get playing time. The Magic should be invested in their growth.
But Orlando also needs to play its veterans. Terrence Ross and Gary Harris should be regulars in the rotation at least to start the season.
This makes for a difficult balance for Mosley to figure out in his first year as a coach.