Orlando Magic 2023 Offseason Needs: Forward depth could be the missing piece

2023 Orlando Magic Offseason Needs: Forward depth

Danny Green, Cleveland Cavaliers

Now this year’s free agent class does not have a lot of great 3-and-D players, and the free agency pool is a little weaker than it is most years, especially for forwards.

If the Orlando Magic do not love any of the free agents this year and do not want to throw a long-term deal at anyone then here is their one- or two-year rental.

Green can still be exactly what they need, a 3-and-D small forward that will not take away too many minutes from Franz Wagner and Paolo Bancher, but can also be reliable, consistent and productive.

Green only played in 11 games this past season due to an injury the season before, but he was good in the short time he played, and he was still productive in his last full season.

In the 11 games Green played this season, he averaged 5.5 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game on 44.9/43.2/100.0 shooting splits in just 12.5 minutes per game.

Quite productive for a small number of minutes. And he never really got in a rhythm due to his injury and switching teams after three games with the Memphis Grizzlies.

With a full offseason to be fully recovered and time to get his legs back under him he could have a major impact for the Magic.

In his last healthy season, he averaged 5.9 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game on 39.4/38.0/78.6 shooting splits in 21.8 minutes per game with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022.

Green unlike the other players is really only going to give you elite shooting and elite defense, but he is an expert at those two things.

He may not be a great rebounder or playmaker, but he is really good at his role.

Green will go down as one of the greatest shooters of all time and is still doing it today.

In his 11 games, he shot 46.7 percent off catch-and-shoot and 50 percent from the corner. In his last healthy season, he shot 41.4 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.

In his first nine games back this year, he made eight threes on 44.4 percent shooting in just less than nine minutes per game. Once he got his rhythm back a little bit and got the hang of it in his last two games he made eight threes on 42.1 percent shooting with 17 points per game.

That was only with 11 games to get back into playing shape.

In his last healthy season, he had 18 games with at least three threes made including playoffs, and 14 double-digit point games including a season-high of 21 in the playoffs.

He came up big in the playoffs showing that he can still withstand a whole season. He made 31 threes on 40.8 percent shooting along with 8.6 points per game, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

This was only in two rounds of the playoffs.

Defensively, Green is just as effective. He had a 109 defensive rating in the 11 games he played this past season, and that is coming off a torn ACL. In his last healthy season, he had a 111 defensive rating which is way better than the league average.

Doing that at his age shows that he can still be a top defender on a team.

Part of the reason he is such a good defender is his quick reactions and high defensive IQ, He had 19 games with two or more steals including a season-high of five.

He has been in the league for 14 years so there is not much he has not seen or not ready for. He also knows a lot of player tendencies.

His defense is what really sets his game apart from others, but his veteran leadership might be his most valuable asset. Green has won three NBA titles, he has been to four NBA Finals, six conference finals and 13 different playoff teams.

He knows what it takes to make the playoffs and he can put that energy on the Magic and guide them through a long season.

The Magic’s biggest need this offseason is at the forward position and they have a lot of options to choose from. They need a player that will play their role and not take away from the young players, but also be productive.

Troy Brown, Torrey Craig and Danny Green are all perfect fits for the Magic, and can all bring different things and impact the game in their own ways. They all can shoot and defend. But they all the other aspects of their game are what make them perfect for the Magic.

The Magic need to look at the market for forward depth and these are productive and efficient players that will not be expecting too much money.

Rounding out the roster with some forward depth could allow them to make their first playoff appearance since 2020.