By John Denton Sept. 15, 2016
ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic had one of their busiest offseasons in franchise history, hiring a new coach and drastically overhauling the roster through trades, free agency and the draft.
Now, with training camp set to open in less than two weeks, it's time to delve deeper into the roster and evaluate the team's strengths and weaknesses.
The Magic stacked their roster with experience and talent this offseason by trading for Serge Ibaka, Jodie Meeks and C.J. Wilcox, signing Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green and D.J. Augustine and drafting center Stephen Zimmerman. That group, combined with the returning core of Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja and C.J. Watson, gives the Magic the belief that they will be a playoff team this season.
Training camp opens on Sept. 27 (at the Amway Center), the first preseason game (in Memphis) is Oct. 3 and the regular-season opener (vs. Miami at home) is Oct. 26.
Today, we look at the small forward position, one that holds great intrigue because of the many options that head coach Frank Vogel will have. GM Rob Hennigan and his staff did a solid job over the summer fortifying the Magic's wing positions and Vogel should have the positional versatility that he wants at the small forward slot.
Without further ado, let's break down how the Magic look at small forward:
POSITION: Small forward
PLAYERS: Aaron Gordon (6-9, 220, 2 NBA seasons); Jeff Green (6-9, 235, 8 NBA seasons); Mario Hezonja (6-8, 218, 1 NBA season); Evan Fournier (6-7, 205, 4 NBA seasons); Damjan Rudez (6-10, 228, 2 NBA seasons); Branden Dawson (6-6, 225, 1 NBA season).
PROJECTED STARTER: Gordon (2015-16 stats: 78 games, 9.2 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 1.6 apg., 47.3 FG percent, 29.6 3FG percent, 66.8 FT percent).
PROJECTED DEPTH: Green (2015-16 stats: 80 games, 11.7 ppg., 4.2 rpg., 1.7 bpg., 42.9 FG percent, 31.4 3FG percent, 74.5 FT percent); Hezonja (2015-16 stats: 79 games, 6.1 ppg., 2.2 rpg., 1.4 bpg., 43.3 FG percent, 34.9 3FG percent, 90.7 FT percent); Fournier (2015-16 stats: 15.4 ppg., 2.8 rpg., 2.7 apg., 46.2 FG percent, 40.0 3FG percent, 83.6 FT percent); Rudez (2015-16 stats: 33 games, 2.3 ppg., 0.6 rpg., 0.3 apg., 40.3 FG percent, 34 3FG percent, 100 FT percent); Dawson (2015-16 stats: 6 games, 0.8 ppg., 0.7 rpg., 0.0 apg., 40 FG percent, 0.0 3FG percent, 100 FT percent).
STRENGTHS: In Gordon, Green, Hezonja and Fournier, the Magic have a deep cast of talented and versatile wing players. Gordon and Green both have the size, strength and lateral quickness to match up against some of the bigger forwards in the Eastern Conference such as LeBron James, Paul George, Nicolas Batum and Paul Millsap. Hezonja had flashes last season where he showed the potential to be an elite shooter and playmaker, but his defense and physicality need to dramatically improve. Fournier can play either wing slot as evidenced as his success at both shooting guard and small forward. His 6-7 height seems to surprise some and that length allowed him to hold his own against the likes of Dwyane Wade, James Harden and George defensively. Rudez is an intriguing camp invitee because of his familiarity with Vogel when the two of them were together in Indiana and his ability to knock down 3-point shots against collapsing defenses.
WEAKNESSES: Whether Gordon or Green are on the floor, the Magic will likely be at a deficit when it comes to 3-point shooting. That makes the improvement and flexibility of Hezonja – who can play both shooting guard or small forward – all the more important. Orlando is eager to see the progress that Gordon has made on his 3-point shot following another summer of work on his mechanics and stroke. Gordon's ability to knock down wide-open corner 3-pointers could be one of the major keys to the offense this season because teams are going to dare him to take – and make – perimeter shots. The Magic figure to have Bismack Biyombo, Serge Ibaka and Elfrid Payton on the floor for long stretches, so if Gordon and Green can't provide steady long-range shooting, the offense could have major issues in spreading the floor properly. Rudez's ability to shoot the ball as a 6-10 wing player could dramatically help his chances of making the roster out of training camp.
ANALYSIS: The growth of Gordon and Hezonja and the consistency of Green could very well qualify as the biggest factors of the season for the Magic. Orlando pretty much knows what it has in Vucevic, Biyombo, Ibaka, Fournier and Payton, but Gordon and Hezonja are enigmas because of their vast potential, youth and relative lack of experience. Green, meanwhile, has been an enigma much of his career, showing stretches of all-star play and stretches where he is far too passive and indifferent.
Gordon made a major leap from his first season to his second season and the Magic are hopeful that because of his smarts, maturity and off-the-charts athleticism that he is ready for another big jump in terms of production. Gordon benefitted greatly from moving into the Magic's starting lineup last season, averaging 11.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 37 games with the starting five. He made 29 more 3-point shots last season than he did as a rookie and Orlando hopes he can duplicate that growth this year.
Green spent time with Memphis (53 games) and the L.A. Clippers (27 games) last season, splitting between the starting lineup (41 times) and being a reserve (39 times). Green was at his best against the Magic on Jan. 25 when he converted a dunk, stole the inbounds pass and hit a buzzer-beating jumper to force overtime. In the extra period, Green put the finishing touches on a 30-point, eight-rebound masterpiece. That performance came during a five-game run where he averaged 24 points and 5.4 rebounds while making 11 3-pointers and shooting a robust 60.2 percent from the floor. A week later, however, Green's production tailed off and he was dealt to the Clippers before the NBA trade deadline. Clearly, the Magic are hoping that they get the player who has the ability to take over games with his rare combination of size, speed and athleticism.
A professional basketball player since he was 13 years old, Hezonja showed the Magic last season that he could handle the enormity of the NBA. At times, he was the team's best playmaker in pick-and-roll sets and he evolved into being a feared shooter from beyond the 3-point line. Now, the Magic need him to attack the game on the defensive end of the floor with an equal amount of vigor. If Hezonja is stronger, more physical and more aware defensively, he could play big minutes at both shooting guard and small forward this season.
Gordon and Green can also play power forward, potentially opening up more minutes for Hezonja's shooting and playmaking at small forward.
Again, the Magic have loads of talent and versatility at the small forward position and it will be interesting to see how Vogel gets the best out of each player to make the spot one of great strength. And if Gordon and Hezonja are dramatically better and Green can find a level of consistency, those factors could go a long way in helping the Magic make a major jump this season.
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.
