With the Orlando Magic turning into exactly who we thought they’d be after a decent start to the season, it’s time to return to the last real opportunity to improve this team. While the trade deadline isn’t closed yet, and the Magic could technically be a player in trades before then, the last time Orlando had the chance to add to their team for the long term was last year’s draft.
The Magic took three players, Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton (through a draft-night trade with the Philadelphia 76ers and Devyn Marble (a second-round pick). But with the benefit of hindsight, should the Magic have done anything differently?
It’s hard to judge Gordon, the forward who the Magic used their fourth overall pick on, as he’s spent much of his time injured this season so far. We’re not quite going to give him a bye though, as we have seen him on the court, unlike somebody like Julius Randle, who sadly didn’t make it through his first game.
Here’s what we know so far, he’s crazy athletic (as advertized) and can also knock down the occasional three-point effort (not advertised and a pleasant surprise). Defensively he will improve, he’s better already than he was to start the season on that end.
Thankfully for him though, his athleticism and general enthusiasm mask some of the shortcomings that exist for now. He also made his first NBA start on Sunday in a loss to the Indiana Pacers, further proof that his career is trending upwards.
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His nine points, four rebounds and one block didn’t exactly move the needle, but it was that energy and willingness to work on both ends which was once again on show.
Now, I said at the time that the Magic shouldn’t take Dante Exum with their fourth pick. His potential was, and still is, undeniable, but this is a team that needs to start making movement towards the playoffs sooner rather than later. Players are people too, and to call Exum a project is actually quite mean, but in NBA terms that’s what he would have been to this team.
So far, it’s panned out like that for Exum and his current team, the Utah Jazz.
He hasn’t come in and taken over right away, but that was never going to be the case with this guy, despite what some people thought. His 5.1 points a game and 2.2 assists (in just shy of 20 minutes of court action a night) are modest, but show a player still learning the professional game. He’s also started three of the 44 games he’s played thus far as well.
All of this brings us onto the next player Orlando acquired, Elfrid Payton. Did I know a ton about him coming into this league? No, and I’m sure that’s the case with a lot of fans. We were told he could provide the pretty pass but would struggle to score, and again that’s been proven correct. Defensively he’s miles better than Exum though, and that’s important for a team like Orlando.
Taking Payton was smart because this team took their needs into account, as opposed to just potential talent. Exum would surely have been tempting, but Payton is by far the better fit with this team. Alongside Victor Oladipo in the backcourt, the potential exists to be the best defensively duo in the NBA in a couple of years.
Exum wouldn’t have provided that, and I think it’s to be commended that, at this point at least, the Magic did the right thing for this team in terms of players fitting together instead of just adding all the talent they could and hoping it worked.
So, for me personally, given the chance, I wouldn’t want the Magic to draft anybody instead if they could. Jabari Parker and Andre Wiggins were never going to be on the board, and I’m glad Joel Embiid didn’t slide any further because there could have been a decision to make then.
Marcus Smart looks like he could be the real deal for the Boston Celtics, but that’s about as jealous as I get when thinking about what could have been. We haven’t seen enough of Randle yet either to determine if skipping on him was a mistake for the long run. Other than that, the one player I would love to see on this team is K.J. McDaniels, a second-round pick for the 76ers.
He came out of the blocks quickly to start the season, and defensively he’s already at a high standard. Having him on this team (highly unlikely to happen despite being a restricted free agent this summer) would give this Magic team real defensive chops to build around.
More than that, with Nikola Vucevic sticking around for the long term as well, the potential of this young core would have been through the roof. Unfortunately landing McDaniels is nothing more than a dream right now.
A final word on the last pick, Devyn Marble (acquired from the Denver Nuggets). I’m a believer that if you’re an up and coming team with little to lose, why not at least give your picks a chance. Marble has yet to really be given a chance, although just recently he’s been used that bit more. Again, defensively he’s got something about him.
But this team does need scoring as well, quite badly actually, and so inserting him in the starting lineup is difficult. This is why he made way for Gordon on Sunday. Still though, he showed in a big performance against the Brooklyn Nets this season that he belongs.
The frustration surrounding his usage rate, as well as that of Maurice Harkless, is something Magic fans have felt a lot recently. That is down to head coach Jacque Vaughn, with many feeling his time with this team may be coming to an end. Thankfully it wasn’t solely his decision on which draft picks to take last season, or who knows where this team would be.
Looking back though, management made decisions that, for now at least, look like they will have a long term positive impact on this team. I wouldn’t change anything, would you?