By John Denton July 3, 2016
ORLANDO – Even though he’s the only member of his summer league squad with actual experience playing for the Orlando Magic, Devyn Marble is well aware he’s in a fight for his NBA life.
Then again, it’s a fight that Marble is quite familiar with engaging in.
As a second-round draft pick in 2014, Marble had no contractual guarantee as he came into the NBA, but he played well enough that summer to earn a two-year deal from the Magic. The second year of that deal wasn’t fully guaranteed, so last July Marble was back in summer league working his way onto the roster.
Fast forward to this week and Marble is spending his third straight Independence Day playing summer league basketball and trying to show the Magic that he deserves a spot on their regular-season roster. The Magic hold the option on the 23-year-old small forward’s contract and he knows that he needs to impress them to simply get an invite to training camp in late September.
“Even last year, when you’re guaranteed, you’re still fighting,” Marble said. “It’s not going to matter or change my mentality what my contract situation is or what team I’m on. I’m still going to play hard and whatever happens happens.”
Marble is hopeful that a better result will happen on Monday when the Magic’s Blue Squad faces the Detroit Pistons in third-day action of the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League. Playing with eight players who were either in college or the NBA’s Development League this past season, Orlando Blue was smashed 93-66 by Indiana on Saturday. Sunday was a much-needed day off to reassess and ready themselves for four games over the next six days.
“As a competitor, I feel like we have a lot more improvements to make before we come into Monday’s game,” said Marble, who had 12 points and three steals in 18 minutes of action on Saturday. “For a lot of our guys this was their first time even playing a pro-style type of basketball game. Experience-wise Indiana definitely had that on us. We’ve got to try and make strides and develop in the next couple of days.”xg One of those players that the Magic are looking to to make strides is 19-year-old center Stephen Zimmerman, who made his pro debut on Saturday. The second-round pick of last week’s NBA Draft scored seven early points, but didn’t scratch over his next 19 minutes on the floor. Still, he finished with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal to go with his seven points and five turnovers.
“I’ve got to work on my body and get bigger and stronger. I’m only 19 and it’s only going to come naturally, but being in the weight room and eating healthy, those are things on my list right now,” the 6-foot-11, 234-pound Zimmerman said following his first pro game. “It’s something for everybody to keep getting better as you get older. The big thing, for me, is getting my body bigger and stronger.”
Marble can relate to the nerves and uncertainty that Zimmerman had to be feeling on Saturday. After a stellar college career at Iowa, the son of the late Roy Marble plunged to the 56th pick of the 2014 NBA draft. Orlando acquired him, along with Evan Fournier, in a trade with the Denver Nuggets in June of 2014.
Marble, 23, bounced back and forth between the Magic and the D-League as a rookie, seeing action in 16 NBA games and seven as a starter. Showing off his defensive prowess and high basketball IQ, Marble recorded five steals in his first-ever NBA start on Jan. 10, 2015.
Marble’s rookie season ended because of a detached retina injury to his eye, and his second season was once again split between the Magic and the D-League. Over the past two seasons, the 6-foot-6, 200-pounder has played 44 games for the Magic, averaging 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 steals a game. The problem, however, has been that Marble has shot just 30.4 percent from the floor, 22.2 percent from 3-point range and 37.5 percent from the free throw lines. Those numbers have obviously been a product of his spotty playing time, but Marble said he’s also somewhat gotten away from the style of game that helped him reach the NBA.
“I think with me offensively I’ve made a more concerted effort to get to the basket. That was something in my first two years that I kind of got away from with being a (3-point) specialist in the league. But there’s a mixture in my game because I can shoot the ball and I can drive. I just want to show that and put it all together rather than relying on one thing.”
The Magic have been active in stocking their wing positions the past two seasons, drafting Mario Hezonja last June, signing C.J. Watson last July and trading for Jodie Meeks (last week) and Shabazz Napier (last August). July 7, the first day that teams and free agents can officially ink new contracts, promises to bring more roster additions for the Magic.
That increased competition should only intensify Marble’s fight to earn a roster spot with the Magic next season. He knows that he’s in for another battle making the roster next season, and he’s just fine with that.
“We do this every year,” Marble said, referring to his yearly battle to make the Magic’s roster. “I’m always out there to compete and defend at a high level. Right now, I’m just trying to put everything together – offensively and defensively – and just show my whole package.”
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