Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down from Magic’s Vegas run

Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down

2 Up: Tommy Kuhse

As the Orlando Magic began to shift their focus to the non-roster players as players like Paolo Banchero, R.J. Hampton and Admiral Schofield sat, it was curious to see who would step up. I will not lie, I was not impressed with the names the Magic had put on their Summer League roster. It did not feel like this was a super deep roster.

This is my mea culpa. The Magic found some gems and solid players and their culture seeped down to make this roster incredibly interesting.

Tommy Kuhse has stood out the most in this late run. He made his debut in Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and seemed to change the tide of the game immediately, helping the Magic climb back into the game.

He followed that up with 25 points and five steals in Thursday’s loss to the New York Knicks, seemingly doing the same where his presence changed the energy in the game.

In his two games, Kuhse is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 68.0-percent from the floor and 5 for 9 on 3-pointers. He has added 4.0 assists per game against 3.0 turnovers per game.

Orlando needs a shooter and Kuhse has been solid at that. He has been solid at working his way into the paint too and creating some havoc there. But his energy defensively and the pace he plays at have stood out the most. He seemingly makes all the right decisions and has just boosted his team.

At the very least, Kuhse seems to have earned himself a spot on the Lakeland Magic, if he wants it. And perhaps a training camp invite on an Exhibit 10 contract. Kuhse has done everything a team wants to see — play with energy, play with efficiency and play to impact winning.

Kuhse has been the most impressive non-roster player at Summer League. Which makes you wonder why the team sat him the first two games and did not give him the chance to play alongside the Magic’s main players.