Jacque Vaughn Fired: Looking At His Era In Orlando

In the end it was inevitable, although some will have wished it had come a lot sooner. Three years into what was a four-year deal, the Orlando Magic have parted ways with head coach Jacque Vaughn. I have never spoken to a Magic fan who was entirely happy with how he was running the team, and now, finally, we will see some change. But while that is exciting in itself, the chance for a fresh start, it is also somewhat daunting as well. The next head coach selection needs to be a smart one, and it needs to have the end goal of propelling this team back into the postseason. But what of Vaughn’s reign though? How will it be remembered?

More from Orlando Magic

There are obviously some negatives that can and will be addressed here, otherwise he wouldn’t have been fired. But surely there was some good to come out of his time in charge of this team, right? On the surface it’s hard to argue that, and indeed even if we delve into the numbers, there’s not much more to support him either. A former assistant to the great Gregg Popovich over in San Antonio, Vaughn brought none of the Spurs ideals to Orlando with him. That’s alright, not every team has the personnel to play like the Spurs, and not every team sets out to play like them either, even if they have had great success.

What was frustrating though, was that this team didn’t have much of an identity on either end of the court. If you asked me now, after three years with this guy, what this team’s identity was both offensively and defensively, I couldn’t really tell you. Yes these are young players still finding their feet, but it was the job of Vaughn to mould these young and impressionable minds into something. He failed to do that.

For a period at the start of this season, the Magic were the best three point shooting team in the NBA. What made this feat more remarkable was the fact that Victor Oladipo was injured at this time, rookie point guard Elfrid Payton can’t shoot, and there was no other known three point assassin on the team. Instead, Channing Frye hit some (Although less than at previous points in his career), Tobias Harris stepped up and Evan Fournier became a go to player offensively when on the court.

Dec 10, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn huddles up with guard Elfrid Payton (4) and forward Tobias Harris (12) against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Amway Center. Washington Wizards defeated the Orlando Magic 91-89. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Vaughn doesn’t deserve much credit for his time in charge, but I’ll give him this. For a team that was miles below average offensively his first two years at the helm and relied on Arron Afflalo at one point to score most of their points, to have them as the best three point shooting team in the league for a time was a small accomplishment worth noting.

But when you’re bringing up the three point shooting as a highlight, that’ll tell you how forgettable a tenure it was. Maurice Harkless, a young player who showed plenty of heart and potential last season, has been criminally underused this year. What’s more puzzling though, is the fact this team now has nothing to lose (Their playoff challenge ended in December, a little earlier than a team in the Eastern Conference with this much young talented would have liked) and yet Harkless is still wasting away on the bench. His rookie year he averaged 26 minutes a game (Understandable, given this team was reeling after Dwight Howard left town) but he repaid the team 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds.

This season, his third in the league, he’s seeing 14.5 minutes a night, and his numbers and confidence have suffered as a result. I’m using Harkless as an example here because to me it seems so clear that he could give this team something if used more. But you could easily sub in DeWayne Dedmon or even Kyle O’Quinn here. Yes they are all role players, but as Hassan Whiteside has recently showed us, if given the chance they could probably give more to this team. With Orlando headed for the lottery again, why not try them out? This was beyond frustrating during his time in charge.

While not using players is bad, using others in the wrong way is also criminal and surely contributed to his demise with the team. One example that sticks out for me was a meeting much earlier in the season against the Toronto Raptors. The Raps were winning, but Orlando had come back with a third quarter surge to but doubt in Toronto’s minds. The game was in Canada as well and the crowd were getting a little uneasy. Fournier had got it going a little, and with Orlando on the front foot it made sense to keep him on the court and pile up some more points.

Instead, Luke Ridnour was brought in to see out the remainder of the game, with Fournier riding the bench. Orlando lost that one. It’s just one example, but it shows us how the talent on the roster wasn’t being used in the right way. Don’t let that loss column fool you either, this team has talent. If they could step their game up collectively as a team defensively, I think they’d have between five-seven more wins this year, and it’s curious why Vaughn never had them playing better defensively. The talent is there in Oladipo and Payton in particular, two guards who could be the best defensive backcourt in the league in under five years.

That lack of progression was ultimately what cost Vaughn his job with Orlando. I wish him nothing but the best in the future, but his time with this team will be looked back upon as a what might have been type of scenario. Now the games begin, with everybody from George Karl to Mark Jackson to Scott Skiles being mentioned as his replacement. Whoever takes up the job next, I just hope that it is soon, so we can put this whole Jacque Vaughn saga behind us.

Next: The Greatest Player In Every Franchise's History

More from Hoops Habit

Home/Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic: Looking Back At The Jacque Vaughn Era

By Luke Duffy | Feb 5, 2015

More from Hoops Habit