Orlando Magic: Storylines to Follow Next Season

For a franchise that made the biggest move in the NBA last offseason trading away its superstar player, the Orlando Magic have had a relatively quiet offseason this summer so far. Do not expect that to change at any point leading up to training camp either.

General manager Rob Hennigan’s rebuilding model is one that requires fans to have patience in hopes of landing one of the top prospects in the 2014 draft class, which is considered the best class since 2003. That class was led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. The model requires continuous player development and coach Jacque Vaughn will have a large role in shaping Maurice Harkless, Tobias Harris and Andrew Nicholson as solid NBA players. Unfortunately, none really projects to be a star in this league, but that is where Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Marcus Smart come into the foreseeable future.

Outside of the draft in which they selected Victor Oladipo and Romero Osby, Orlando has not been too active in free agency. Veteran forward Jason Maxiell, who signed last week to a two-year deal worth $5 million, is expected to provide the team with toughness on the interior. Ronnie Price also agreed to terms with the Magic, although nothing is official yet, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Price was a reserve point guard with the Portland Trail Blazers last year who had only 39 appearances and averaged 13.1 minutes per game. The team’s next few moves will most likely be the buyouts of veteran forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington. Clearly, Hennigan is content with playing out next season with the current roster as is.

Earlier in the offseason, Orlando had been shopping starting veteran guard Arron Afflalo, mainly in trade discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers to bring back Eric Bledsoe in return. Since Bledsoe ultimately got traded to the Phoenix Suns, much has been quiet on the Afflalo front. With Orlando already completing the majority of its offseason moves, a few storylines have developed heading into next season.

Glen Davis will be returning from injury after missing 48 games last season due to a broken foot and “Big Baby” may have to battle for a starting spot. Tobias Harris played a considerable amount of time at power forward last season, though he is more of a traditional small forward. At 6-foot-9, Harris is just tall enough to play a stretch 4 and his strength and versatility are what make him so valuable to the team, along with his potential. Playing inside last season, Harris averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in just 27 games with the team. His move to power forward enabled the Magic to start Harkless at small forward.

Nicholson finished the season on a strong note and he has continued to show improvement in the Orlando Summer League a few weeks ago with a refined post game. He is another power forward who Vaughn will have to squeeze into the mix for playing time. With Davis returning, who is the odd man out of the rotation?

Another player Orlando is counting on heavily, hoping to avoid a sophomore slump, is Harkless. He’s got the prototypical physical attributes to be a solid small forward in the league, but has to develop a more consistent jump shot, tighten his handle and improve his offensive attack off the dribble. Of all the players on the roster, Harkless may have the biggest upside and this season it is very important he takes the next step as a player. With several potential franchise players available in the draft next year that Orlando is targeting, Harkless may eventually lose his job to Wiggins or Parker, who play the same position.

As the second overall pick in the draft, Oladipo will also have the spotlight on him. Much is being made by Hennigan’s rationale to experiment with him as a point guard in the summer league, but one thing is for sure: Oladipo is going to give this team an electric personality, on and off the court. With Jameer Nelson already penciled in as the starter in a rebuilding year, Orlando can afford to play Oladipo at point guard and see how he develops over the course of a whole season, not just one week in a summer league. At this time next summer, the franchise will have a better idea of where it stands with Oladipo’s growth, either as a point guard or a shooting guard.