By Josh Cohen
Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja
With Victor Oladipo in OKC, Hezonja is expected to get far more opportunity in the backcourt. While he probably won’t start most of the time (Evan Fournier will), he has a skillset that complements Elfrid Payton well. Both he and Payton excel in transition and they each have excellent court vision and instincts. In the play featured below, Payton waits for Hezonja to curl around a pair of screens (one from Aaron Gordon and another from Nikola Vucevic) and then at the right time finds him streaming to the basket. WATCH:
Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo
It’s going to be havoc for opponents trying to score inside whenever these two pair up. Ibaka and Biyombo are supreme rim protectors. They are both very athletic, agile and play with relentless energy and hustle. Also impressive is that each are superb when they have to switch on a screen because they are quick enough laterally to defend wing players. In the play featured below, the Thunder are out of position on the final possession of the half. At the far left of the screen, you see Russell Westbrook signal for one of his teammates to help on Stephen Curry. Ibaka accepts the challenge, stays with Curry as he maneuvers in the lane and then blocks his shot at the rim. WATCH:
Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier
The Magic shot 36 percent from 3-point range when Payton and Fournier were on the floor together. Conversely, the Magic shot 31 percent from beyond the arc when Payton and Oladipo were on the court at the same time. It was apparent that the lack of long distance shooting between Payton and Oladipo was a problem. Therefore, a Payton-Fournier pairing gives Orlando more balance and spacing. In the play featured below, Payton attacks the baseline which forces Fournier’s defender, Metta World Peace, to dart over to try and prevent Payton from scoring inside. In effect, Payton notices how wide open Fournier is on the wing. WATCH:
Nikola Vucevic and Serge Ibaka
We always wondered how it would help Vucevic if he paired up with a rim protecting specialist. We get to find out this season when he and Ibaka team up inside. While it’s still important for Vucevic to make more progress on the defensive end (particularly in pick-and-roll situations), some of his limitations may be less stressed with Ibaka there to cover up some of those flaws. It will also allow Vucevic to concentrate even more on his offensive game. In the play featured below, Steven Adams is forced to leave Karl-Anthony Towns to deny Andrew Wiggins from scoring inside. Wiggins sees Towns near the basket but Ibaka quickly slides over and rejects Towns on his dunk attempt. WATCH:
Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja
Frank Vogel has said repeatedly this offseason that he wants the Magic to push the pace. Well, there are no two players on the Magic more equipped to handle this than Gordon and Hezonja. They are two of the more athletic players in the league and both excel in transition. Also interesting, both have terrific court awareness and playmaking abilities. It’s very possible that both will play the point forward position quite often. In the play featured below, Gordon starts the fast break and uses his excellent vision to find Hezonja for the alley-oop. WATCH:
