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5 worst starters of the Orlando Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal era

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Shaquille O'Neal was an immediate force in the NBA that vaulted the Orlando Magic into contender status. (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images)
Shaquille O'Neal was an immediate force in the NBA that vaulted the Orlando Magic into contender status. (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Tom Tolbert, Golden State Warriors
Tom Tolbert was already a journeyman when he joined the Orlando Magic for Shaquille O’Neal’s rookie year. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport /

5 worst starters of Orlando Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal era

Tom Tolbert (1993)

61 starts, 8.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG

There will be a theme in the way these starters all come down. If the theme of Dwight Howard’s tenure with the Orlando Magic was about trying to find an adequate shooting guard with four positions seemingly set, then Shaquille O’Neal’s tenure was defined by trying to find the right power forward to run with him.

They eventually did that by signing Horace Grant as a free agent in 1994. The Magic reached the Finals in 1995. Grant is one of the best power forwards in the team’s history for the impact he had on the team in making them title contenders.

It is hard to think about how important that role is today with how much the position has changed. But in the early- and mid-1990s, enforcers were still an important role. With the physical play and so many elite centers, they needed a physical presence to take some of the pounding defensively, dish it out when called for and spread the floor some with a mid-range jumper.

Shaquille O’Neal’s first power forward was a grinder in the league for a long time in Tom Tolbert. But this was still the remnants of the expansion team. The Magic knew things would be different with O’Neal, but now the team actually had to get serious about winning.

That is at least what the 1993 season told them. They were no longer playing at the bottom of the standings.

Before joining the Magic, Tolbert had four up-and-down years with the Charlotte Hornets and Golden State Warriors — going from averaging around eight points per game to two points per game, usually going with his playing time.

He signed with the Magic after averaging 2.6 points per game and 1.6 rebounds per game in 8.9 minutes per game across 35 appearances for the Warriors in the 1992 season. He tallied only 53 starts in his career before joining the Magic.

So it was at least something of a surprise when Tolbert got 61 starts in 73 appearances for the Magic in the 1993 season. He did not start until the ninth game of the season.

Tolbert averaged 8.1 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. So the Magic did get one of Tolbert’s best seasons. But it was clearly short of what the Magic needed. Even if just barely for such a young team.

The Magic really struggled to find the right mix at forward and that would remain a theme for the team until free agency solved that problem.