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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 44: Looking forward past the midpoint of the season

The Orlando Magic are hitting the midpoint of the season and find themselves in a strong position to make the postseason but with a lot of things to learn and develop within their roster. The last half of the season will be big for pointing the team's direction.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic are hitting a crossroads as they try to find their rhythm to make the playoffs and prepare for their future.
Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic are hitting a crossroads as they try to find their rhythm to make the playoffs and prepare for their future. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag: The right point guard

What is the right kind of point guard for the Orlando Magic?

This is one of the big questions the Orlando Magic face. Undoubtedly one of the big issues the team has faced this year is a lack of point guard play and a calming presence. The team has had to platoon Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as their de facto point guards.

It has been a major weakness for this team. And Orlando's lack of perceived shooting from the team's guards remains a major weakness for the team.

Jalen Suggs, on that shooting front, has come a long way. But through this period he has struggled to be a solid point guard for the team.

The Magic have needed Markelle Fultz back just to be a calming presence and get the team in the right spots. And even then, he has needed some time to get comfortable.

And, of course, Fultz is strictly a non-shooter at this point. It seems unlikely the Magic are going to bring him back despite his poise and composure because of that lack of shooting and how much the space on the floor gets compressed.

If the Magic have one overarching goal to accomplish this deadline or this offseason, it is to find a point guard.

But the Magic do not need a traditional, pound-the-rock point guard. They can use Banchero and Wagner as lead ball handlers and they want to use them to initiate offense. And we know the Magic have a penchant for seeking size for defensive purposes.

What the Magic probably need at point guard is hard to find. A good playmaker and table-setter who does not need the ball to be effective. They need someone who can control the pace, defend at the point of attack and work off the ball shooting threes.

Derrick White with the Boston Celtics and the role he is playing for that team is the sort of ideal I think the magic are looking for. White is not going to be available. But Malcolm Brogdon is a poor version of that and someone who could be a good veteran for the team while Anthony Black develops behind him.

I think if the Magic were looking to go all-in, someone like Dejounte Murray would fit the team's culture and ideal as a bigger guard who can theoretically shoot from beyond the arc while still being able to create on his own.

It is not an easy thing to find. But I am not sold the Magic need a traditional point guard with the ball-handlers they need. Probably the most important thing they need is a veteran to calm the group and work off the ball as a shooter and defender.

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