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5 worst starters of the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard era

By Harrison Brown

ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 13: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic walks off the court during the game against the Miami Heat at Amway Center on March 13, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 13: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic walks off the court during the game against the Miami Heat at Amway Center on March 13, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Maurice Evans, Orlando Magic, Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons
The Orlando Magic wanted Maurice Evans for his shooting as they amassed shooters around Dwight Howard. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty images) /

5 worst starters of the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard era

Maurice Evans (2008)

47 starts, 9.3 PPG, 56.7% eFG%, 39.6% 3FG%

Maurice Evans only played in one season for the Magic, but he started 12 more games than Keith Bogans in his lone season so he gets the nod. Evans did not have many traits that stood out for the Magic besides his shooting.

That was the whole reason the team acquired him as newly hired coach Stan Van Gundy appreciated shooting around Dwight Howard more than most other statistics. He wanted to implement a 4-out, 1-in system to perfection.

The Magic shiped out Trevor Ariza to the Los Angeles Lakers for Maurice Evans and Brian Cook, adding two shooters for the young defensive player who struggled to shoot at the time. This deal can be painful for Orlando fans as Ariza went on to improve dramatically and was a catalyst in the 2009 NBA Finals.

This deal gives even more of a reason to include Evans on this list.

It worked though in the short-term. Orlando secured the division title and third seed in the Eastern Conference. The team was sixth in points per game, which stemmed from their shooting. The Magic were first in three-pointers made, second in threes attempted, and fourth in three-point percentage. That’s a 134.2 percent increase in threes taken than the year prior under coach Brian Hill. Placing Evans in the starting unit was a factor.

Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis all shot better than 40 percent from three this season and Maurice Evans was close behind at 39.6 percent. But he did not contribute much else to the starting unit.

Evans only averaged 1.0 assists per game so he was predominantly a catch-and-shoot player. Evans also averaged 0.6 steals per contest and this was an area that the Magic were lacking.

The team finished 27th out of 30 in steals per game, and Lewis was the only player to average more than a steal per game.

Orlando also dropped in rebounds per game as Tony Battie was not able to play this season. The Magic had 32-year-old Adonal Foyle as the backup center and he averaged a mere 2.5 rebounds per game.

Evans rebounded 3.1 boards per contest which is admirable for a starting shooting guard who plays most of his minutes with Howard. Howard went on to grab more than 1,100 boards on the year.

Evans was solid and 9.3 points per game on a top 6 scoring roster is respectable, but he did not bring what was required for the Magic to beat the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs.