How the Orlando Magic replicate their 5 best lineups of 2021
Orlando Magic’s top lineups of 2021
Dwayne Bacon/Terrence Ross/Aaron Gordon/Gary Clark/Khem Birch
+14.5 net rating (109.0 off rtg./94.5 def rtg.), 6 games, 52 minutes
There was a stretch during the 2021 seasons where the Orlando Magic did not have any natural point guards.
Markelle Fultz was out with a torn ACL. Cole Anthony suffered a rib injury that knocked him out for a month. Frank Mason tore his groin in his first minutes with the team.
Steve Clifford was not one for experimenting, but he was forced to platoon Aaron Gordon as a point guard for a little while — and then he sprained his ankle bringing the ball up in a game in Tampa against the Toronto Raptors.
It was a rough year for sure. Necessity is the mother of invention. And the Magic were struggling to hold everything together.
This season, Jamahl Mosley is expected to experiment a whole lot more with his lineups. Fans have been clamoring and salivating over the potential of throwing some odd lineups out on the court and trying to press the team’s advantages rather than always focusing on trying to match up constantly.
Jamahl Mosley has already hinted that he may try Wendell Carter at power forward. Or that he may trot out lineups with multiple ball handlers on the floor.
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This lineup went in the opposite direction without an available point guard on the roster. It still found its way with Aaron Gordon on the ball and Dwayne Bacon, Terrence Ross and Gary Clark able to spread the floor, at least in name. Bacon and Gordon could also attack off the dribble.
The Magic can create a similarly versatile lineup with size to defend and score.
It will be impossible for Orlando to play without a point guard this year — they just have so many. But a big lineup is something that could work.
R.J. Hampton never gained the trust to play point guard under Steve Clifford. But that is his natural position. Orlando is probably going to look to have multiple ball handlers on the floor so Hampton will get his time on the ball.
Going with a big lineup with R.J. Hampton or Jalen Suggs at point guard with Terrence Ross, two of Chuma Okeke, Franz Wagner or Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter at center approximates this limited but successful lineup pretty well.
Magic fans will get to see two of the three versatile forward on the floor at some point this season. But a super big lineup with Hampton has the potential to be devastating defensively.