Orlando Magic’s top lineups of 2021
Cole Anthony/Dwayne Bacon/James Ennis/Aaron Gordon/Nikola Vucevic
+22.8 net rating (113.4 off rtg./90.7 def rtg.), 6 games, 57 minutes
If you were to guess what the Orlando Magic’s most effective lineup was last season, this is probably not the one that would pop out.
Surprisingly, the Magic were only able to use it in six games despite the relative health of all the players in the lineup. And they surprisingly went 1-5 in games they used this lineup.
Still, there are some really important elements to show why this kind of lineup was effective.
It, of course, contained the team’s All-Star in Nikola Vucevic. That is usually a good place to start with anything. And the Magic will be a fundamentally different team.
Vucevic was truly a unique player as someone the team could run in pick and rolls as a threat to post or pop or dump the ball into in the high post and run screens off of to get quality passes.
The Magic currently do not have a center who has that kind of playmaking or versatility, even if Vucevic was still limited in how the team could defend and even attack.
There is still a great simplicity to this lineup.
Cole Anthony was a rookie point guard, but especially late in the season, he became a solid distributor and passer as the season went on. His threat to score made him a strong option to get things started.
Dwayne Bacon, as inefficient as he could be, is a solid driver and scorer. He was the player who could create for himself off the dribble.
James Ennis was a perfect 3-and-D player. He had a really strong season when he was able to play, hitting 43.3-percent from deep last season.
Aaron Gordon speaks for himself in some respects. He is a versatile forward with scoring ability who can defend.
This was a lineup that had a ton of balance with players who could clearly fit into their role. Maybe it would have come apart — and it is not clear looking at the raw numbers which lineups they went again — as players tried to push and pull for roles.
But the ideal for any lineup is to have two guys whose focus is to score, three or four who can spread the floor and enough glue to hold it together. Having players who can fill multiple of these roles helps a lot.
There may not be a direct analog. But replacing Dwayne Bacon with Jalen Suggs gives the team a strong defender and someone who can also defend his position. Replacing Aaron Gordon with Jonathan Isaac or Chuma Okeke would replace his versatility at the forward position. And replacing James Ennis with Gary Harris would give the team the defender and shooter they are missing.
What this group might be missing is the playmaking versatility that Vucevic provided. There is no clear replacement for him. Wendell Carter is probably the most consistent option and he would provide a ton more defense than Nikola Vucevic could.
But a lot of these Vucevic lineups work because of how unique Vucevic is.