Kentavious Caldwell-Pope provides more than an upgrade over Gary Harris

When the Orlando Magic exited the playoffs, there was a lot of celebration for the season that was just completed and the progress made. There was also a lot of recognition that there was a lot of work to do.

And then an acknowledgement of the opportunity to get that work done with tons of cap room and a coffer full of assets to make something happen. Everyone around the Magic were eager to see what the team would do this offseason.

It was a successful offseason, even if it was not a particularly eventful one.

The Magic did come out in the end with one of the major acquisitions in the offseason, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a three-year, $66-million deal.

In Caldwell-Pope the Magic are getting a knock-down shooter who made 40.6 percent of his 3-point shots last year and has shot better than 40 percent in three of his last four seasons (he shot 39.0 percent in the other). They are also getting one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

In one swoop, Orlando bolstered its already strong defense, adding a player who fits seamlessly into that foundational aspect of this team. And the Magic added a shooter to fill that spacing need.

Almost immediately, the shorthand to explain the move to Magic fans was that the team was getting a better version of incumbent starting guard Gary Harris, another solid-shooting and solid-defending low-usage guard. And this was before the Magic re-signed Harris to a two-year deal.

At least by that logic, the Magic upgraded simply by making that move. But it is an oversimplification. Caldwell-Pope is not merely a better version of Harris, even if a lot of their skills and parts of their role for this team will overlap.

Caldwell-Pope brings a lot more to the table than just improving on those skills.

How Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Gary Harris compare

But the place to start is with why that comparison exists.

Both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Gary Harris are known as 3-and-D players. They are expert role players who enhance the lineups they are in.

Caldwell-Pope averaged 10.1 points per game last year and shot 40.6 percent from three. Harris ended his season averaging 6.9 points per game and shooting 37.1 percent from three. That certainly feeds into the notion that Caldwell-Pope will do everything Harris did but better.

The 3-point shooting similarities do not end there.

Harris made 37.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes on 3.5 attempts per game last season according to data from Second Spectrum. Caldwell-Pope made 39.7 percent on 3.3 attempts per game.

Harris was in the starting lineup as the team's fifth option and floor spacer last year. Orlando overall had a +3.3 net rating with Harris on the floor last year, a mark only beaten by Franz Wagner among the Magic's starters.

The team had a 113.6 offensive rating with him on the floor, 0.7 points per 100 possessions better than the team's 112.9 average. That shows how vital the threat of his shooting was for the team.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets had a +11.3 net rating with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the floor, a mark that only MVP Nikola Jokic beat. Denver had a 122.4 offensive rating with Caldwell-Pope on the floor, the best mark on that championship-contending team. The team also had a 111.0 defensive rating with him on the floor, 1.3 points per 100 possessions better than the team's overall average.

That is all to say then that Caldwell-Pope seemed to have a positive impact on both ends of the floor. Harris did too. But Caldwell-Pope seemed to enhance the Nuggets' high-powered offense.

The question will be just how much he could supercharge the Magic's offense. And how the Magic plan to use him in a way that is different than what they got from Harris.

KCP brings skills that enhance the lineup

Clearly shooting is the big skill that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can bring. He enhances what teams can do with his ability to spread the floor. But where there is a clear difference is with his defense and defensive disruption.

Caldwell-Pope averaged 2.91 deflections per 75 possessions, according to data from Basketball Index. That put him in the 81st percentile. Harris averaged 2.54 deflections per 75 possessions.

It is a small thing, but this is a big part of the Magic's defensive philosophy. Orlando last year averaged 14.9 deflections per game according to NBA.com's tracking data. That ranked seventh in the league.

The two players remain fairly comparable even in some minute ways. The question then is beyond just being better at the things Harris was providing, where does Caldwell-Pope enhance the lineup with his spacing?

But the biggest difference is the kind of defenders Caldwell-Pope defended last year.

His most frequent matchups last year were with All-Star-level players like Paul George, Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry. Edwards got the best of him last year, but Caldwell-Pope got his licks in on many of the top players.

Jalen Suggs got the call on many of the best players in the league. But Harris was not defending the same caliber of player—he did spend a lot of time on Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton, at least statistically.

As exciting as the potential of Caldwell-Pope's shooting is, he will bring a lot of defensive intensity to the team.

And the final thing that Caldwell-Pope holds over Harris is his reliability and health.

Caldwell-Pope appeared in 76 games last year and has played in fewer than 70 games just twice in his career (and in those seasons he played 69 and 67 in COVID-shortened seasons). Harris appeared in 54 games last year and has appeared in 70 or more games just once in his career.

It might be simple, but Caldwell-Pope is a better shooter and a much more impactful defender against better players. His point-of-attack defense was critical for the Denver Nuggets. It will be critical to for the Orlando Magic even with all the defensive weapons the team has.

Harris still has one advantage over KCP

Still, the Orlando Magic are going to be using some part of their early season exploring what Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can do and how he can fit in with this team. And it is hard to know how much of Caldwell-Pope's success is because he was playing with a player like Nikola Jokic. He is kind of good if you did not know.

It is a safe expectation that Caldwell-Pope will be able to slot in as a spot-up shooter and defender.

But Gary Harris may have him beat in one place: movement shooting.

Harris averaged 1.06 points per possession off handoffs last year on 0.7 possessions per game, according to NBA.com's tracking stats. He also scored on 1.29 points per possession with a 64.7 percent effective field goal percentage off cuts (only 0.4 possessions per game though). He scored 0.91 points per possession off screens.

Caldwell-Pope scored 0.91 points per possession off handoffs on 1.3 possessions per game, 1.37 points per possession on 73.1 percent effective field goal percentage on cuts (on 0.4 possessions per game) and 0.75 points per possession off screens on 0.4 possessions per game.

There are some slight differences and Harris seems to be better shooting and scoring off movement. Of course, the issue with their shooting might well be that neither are volume shooters, taking fewer than 5.0 3-point attempts per game last season.

Their impact is the threat of their presence. Their getting shots is usually a sign the offense is working and the ball is moving to them.

Caldwell-Pope will bring a big boost to the Magic. That much is very clear. Having Harris still in reserve to help the bench group will help too. Orlando's depth will be one of its strengths.

Caldwell-Pope though is more than just a better version of Harris. But he will upgrade that role significantly next season.