Admiral Schofield set to return to Orlando Magic on two-way contract

When the Orlando Magic all gathered in Las Vegas to watch the team’s Summer League team play, there was one familiar face with them who did not seem to fit.

The whole family showed up to support. As did Admiral Schofield.

Schofield was a free agent at the time after having his two-way contract converted to a full contract to end the season. He was a valued teammate and someone who made some major strides. But still someone locked into the end of a roster.

There just was not a roster spot to give him to keep growing. Unless he came back on a two-way contract.

As with everything with this Magic team, vibes matter. And Orlando is going to lean toward familiarity and continuity to help their team grow.

The Orlando Magic again favored familiarity with their first of two remaining two-way spots grabbing Admiral Schofield for another stint on a two-way contract.

In something that was a bit surprising, the Magic appear set to bring Schofield back on a two-way contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Schofield appeared in 37 games last year, averaging 4.2 points per game. He topped off at 13 points on two occasions early in the season as the Magic dealt with injuries, including a 13-point effort in one of the wins at Boston.

Schofield showed himself throughout the season as a tough-minded defender who could guard pretty much any wing position and hold his own on the interior. He was also an improving and more willing shooter.

It was a good season for Schofield. And he became a big part of the locker room. He has integrated into the larger group and has been a valuable resource for the team.

Still, Schofield is in the two-way grinder. This will be his third year on a two-way contract with the Magic. And it is hard to say whether he has advanced beyond the two-way level.

That makes this decision somewhat limiting. Orlando knows exactly what it is getting in a two-way player once again and probably will not expect a whole lot more. There is no clear way for Schofield to progress to the main roster — and Orlando’s full roster does not help matters.

Schofield will serve his role filling this spot. And that reliability might be what the team is going for.

The Magic have often favored veteran G-League players for these two-way spots. And Schofield knows what he is doing both when he is playing with Osceola — he scored 17 points in his lone game with the Lakeland Magic last year — and when he steps in to play for the parent club in Orlando.

The question to ask is whether the Magic are overvaluing continuity and familiarity with this addition or whether there was a higher upside play to make.

Orlando has often favored experience and the team has largely brought back the same roster as last year. That would make Schofield’s re-addition make a lot more sense.

Still, there has to be some wonder if there was a high upside play out there. Or whether the Magic could have found players who could support their rotation and perhaps one day graduate to the main roster. This is an area the Magic have struggled with.

Then again, the team is pretty deep at this point, it is probably hard to sell non-established players that there is a pathway for them to make the roster. With Schofield, the Magic have a player they can trust and who is comfortable and understands the role he is playing as a two-way contract player.

And Schofield will do well in this role once again, perhaps even filling in some power-forward minutes if needed. The Magic can trust him to do a whole lot of different things.

The Magic have a full roster and their only remaining spot left belongs to a third two-way spot now. It is not clear where the Magic will go with this spot. Perhaps that will be a carrot left open for training camp.

Orlando though is going to look very familiar next year in a lot of ways. And that includes keeping Schofield in the family.