It Is not always easy to find the missing pieces of a team--the players who will make everything come together and make sense. The Boston Celtics just did it, building one of the deepest and most cohesive teams in the league, and won a championship because of it.
With the season officially over, plenty of teams are plotting their way to a future championship. The key for many is to find that missing piece (or pieces). Fittingly, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor put together a list of "10 players who could complete a contender".
The Magic just made their first playoff run with this young core, but they look ready to be a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come. They are still looking for some pieces to complete the team, however. O'Connor listed one of the Portland Trail Blazers' young guards as one of the missing pieces.
Could Anfernee Simons take the Magic to the next level?
Anfernee Simons has long been one of the preferred trade targets for Magic fans. After all, he grew up in Orlando and is named after Magic legend Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. It would be a wholesome homecoming if Simons could join the Magic.
There is much more to it, however. The Magic need an offensive boost, and Simons could offer that. He averaged over 20 points per game two seasons in a row now, playing for the struggling Trail Blazers. Simons could provide the Magic with another scoring option and someone who can space the floor. The 25-year-old guard is shooting 38.6 percent from three for his career.
At the same time, he can be more than just a scorer. Averaging 5.5 assists per game, Simons showed flashes of being a capable playmaker last season.
On the other hand, Simons is rather small and not a great defender. That doesn't fit the type of player the Magic usually go for.
It might be worth it, though. Simons seems like the kind of player who could transform the Magic's offense and help take the team to the next level.
"Simons would be surrounded by lengthy teammates to protect him on defense, and on offense he'd be matched with skilled creators with size like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, whom he could develop beautiful chemistry with," O'Connor writes to sum up the potential fit in Orlando.
While it seems that the Magic are still some time and more than one piece away from being a real contender, the idea of adding Simons to this core is intriguing.