Orlando Magic Shooting Month: Top 20 shooters in Orlando Magic history

Top 20 Shooters in Orlando Magic History

16. Darrell Armstrong

By Patrick Previty

Darrell Armstrong clocks in at No. 16 on our greatest shooters list. But with the way his career unfolded, he could also be one of the best-undrafted players in franchise history.

Armstrong began his career in the United States Basketball League (USBL) in 1991, moved to the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in 1992, and then the Global Basketball Association in 1993.

His next couple of seasons were with teams overseas and then he got the call to play for the Orlando Magic late in the 1995 season.

In his first couple of years with the Magic, Armstrong did not play much, only logging playing time in 16 games. But he did compete in the 1996 Slam Dunk Contest — an infamously bad performance.

The next season, Armstrong saw an increase in playing time as he played in 67 games averaging 15.1 minutes per contest.

Known mainly as a shooter and shooting 33.0-percent from three point range his first four years in the league, he had not quite made his mark yet.

But in the lockout-shortened 1999 season proved to be his shining moment. He became the first player in NBA history to win both Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player in the same season.

He increased his scoring by 4.6 per game to 13.8 points per game, shot 36.5-percent from three, led the team in assists with 6.7 per game and averaged a career-high in steals with 2.2 per game.

Because of Armstrong’s stellar play, he was able to lead the Magic to the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Even with all those awards, Armstrong’s best season actually came the following year.

In 2000, he was inserted into the starting lineup full-time and averaged a career-high in points per game at 16.2 while shooting 34.0-percent from three.

He kept the title of starting point guard for the next two seasons and was on the Magic until 2003.

Once he left Orlando, Armstrong bounced around the league a bit and ended up retiring after the 2008 season.

For his career, Armstrong shot 33.4-percent from beyond the arc. But for the Magic, he shot 34.6-percent.

And during his entire career with the Magic, the team never posted a losing record and made the playoffs seven times.

He is one of the best shooters in franchise history and made 923 three-point shots during his career and his career journey is just as memorable.