Orlando Magic’s starting five will be dangerous once healthy
By Omar Cabrera
Orlando Magic’s ideal starting lineup
SMALL FORWARD – Franz Wagner
The small forward position is one of the harder decisions coach Jamahl Mosley will have to make.
Having Gary Harris, Chuma Okeke, Terrence Ross and Franz Wagner gives the coaching staff multiple directions the team can go in.
Throughout his career, Ross had demonstrated the ability to shoot the Magic back into any game but also has games where he can not buy a basket. The perfect example is the last two games against the New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
Against the Knicks, Ross had an outstanding fourth-quarter, scoring 22 points and leading the Magic to a win. But against the Heat, Ross went 0 for 7 from the field. Teams are making it harder for Ross to get open and the bench lineups he is playing with are devoid of other weapons to relieve the pressure.
Ross also provides the gravity to stretch out a defense, but with his hot and cold tendencies, Ross has continuously been better off the bench and why fix something that is not broken.
Both Okeke and Harris provide a strong play on the defensive end, but both also will slightly be out of position.
Harris only being listed at 6-foot-4 would be a stretch at the small forward position. While his play on the defensive end is strong, he has recently struggled shooting the ball from beyond the arc at 34-percent last season. Harris also shot 33-percent from three the season prior.
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Combined with his recent injury history, Harris’ optimal position would be at the 2-guard but does not have the play-making ability that the other guards do.
Okeke, on the other hand, is a power forward that can play the small forward.
Okeke displayed strong play defensively but also had inconsistencies on the offensive end. Okeke shot 35.9-percent from three, but it was through red hot and ice-cold shooting stretches rather than a consistent shooting season. While Okeke can play small forward and has shown flashes of being able to shoot from three, he does not have the play-making ability that Wagner has displayed to start the season.
Like Okeke, Wagner has displayed the ability to play strong defense and make the right play on the offensive end. Mosley has praised both Wagner and Okeke’s basketball IQ.
Wagner’s play so far this season has been impressive — well beyond his solid stats (13.3 points per game, 56.7-percent effective field goal percentage). He always makes the right cuts and makes the right decision of when to pass to dribble or to pass.
He has also been arguable the most consistent player through four games.
From Summer League to preseason to the regular season, Wagner continues to improve, and his shooting ability also continues to improve as he is shooting 35-percent from beyond the arc.
Even though Wagner is the primary small forward who can play power forward, Wagner has displayed the ability to make plays for his teammates. Wagner is not ready to initiate an offense but has shown the ability to make a read off a pass and make the right pass that creates a scoring opportunity.
There are a lot of strong candidates to choose from, but Wagner has shown a more complete skill set that feeds into the offense that the Magic are aiming to run while displaying strong defense.