Orlando Magic Need More From Channing Frye

It’s no secret that the Orlando Magic have now amassed a young core that they think will form the playoff of a successful playoff outfit in the not too distant future. Guys like Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris, they feel, can be key guys on a roster that will likely see some more turnover before it is ready to have winning seasons.

Despite all of this though, the sad reality is this season may bring nothing more than another trip to the NBA lottery, the Magic also have a veteran player who could be an important piece on a contending team.

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His name is Channing Frye, and last season, his first with the team, was one the poorest he’s had as a professional. Now, by all accounts Frye appears to be a great locker room guy, and what we are about to talk about is not meant with any disrespect.

He is a likeable player, a model professional and somebody who fought back from a missed season because of a heart issue to stake his claim for a place in this league once more.

It’s just the Magic need more from this guy. Now, last season he possibly wasn’t being used in the right way by former head coach Jacque Vaughn. The incoming Scott Skiles may be able to get more productivity out of the 32-year-old. So we’re not going to place all the blame on him here.

This Magic team wasn’t very good then, either, and it’s unclear exactly how much better it can be this season. A franchise player Frye is not, and so we must also be realistic about how he can positively impact this team.

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But he’s the kind of big guy that can stretch the floor that are absolutely trending right now, and for that reason alone he intrigues. Obviously the Golden State Warriors have made playing small ball the hot new thing in the league to be doing, and I’ve spoken before about how the Magic could possibly implement some of that into their lineup in the future.

He’s usually a dependable three-point shooter who can give you some points from that area. Defensively he’s getting no better, but he’s a long frame and a guy who at least tries on that end.

Having a player like that on a young team should be exciting, but so far it really hasn’t been, and it’s kind of puzzling to think why that could be. One possible theory, is that because he’s not a regular starter.

He did start 55 of the 71 games he played last year, but with Harris having been given a nice new contract and Aaron Gordon looking to grow with this team into a larger role, his future is as as reserve.

That’s tough for a guy who on a contending team would be a great complimentary piece. The kind of guy who could let a star player or two carry the offensive load, while defenders sag off him and he pops up for largely uncontested jumpers. On the second unit of a team going through a rebuild though? That’s different, and it’s tough.

So his poor numbers last year were not only a reflection of a guy who needs to do better, but also show a player who was a victim of circumstance.

Consider this. Frye scored 7.3 points per game, his lowest since 2008-09, when he only started one of the 63 games he played for the Portland Trail Blazers. A low mark for a guy with some nice offensive moves that go beyond his jump shooting abilities, even if that is his strongest suit when he has the ball in his hand.

Despite that low mark, Frye did shoot 39.3 percent from three-point territory. Now that’s what he was brought here to do, help an Orlando team that has struggled offensively in recent years.

That three-point shooting percentage, though, was the highest in the entire league among qualifying power forwards, the position Frye spent most of his time, although he did see minutes as a center as well. Clearly then, this guy has value, it’s just about coaxing it out of him and using his talents in the right way. When on the court. Frye accounted for 14.1 percent of all possessions.

That is to say, he ended up taking the shots for his team, the offense ran through him.

While that number isn’t notably high (Even Kyle O’Quinn‘s usage rate was closer to 16 percent and he does not have the silky jumper Frye does) it’s probably too much for a guy who should have a clear and defined role for this team offensively.

But as the most senior member of the second unit (along with C.J. Watson beginning this season) he was forced to create his own shot too many times last year. That’s not Frye’s game, and the Magic should look to maneuver some of what they do to accommodate this guy. They’ll be glad they did.

Numbers do tell much of the story, and while his lack of productivity for this team isn’t all on him, it’s also fair to say that he was pretty pedestrian for most of last year. The kind of guy who would drift through games playing under 25 minutes and not doing a ton. His Player Efficiency Rating of 9.5 reflects this, as the league average is 15. That’s a poor number.

Given that he is entering the second year of a four-year, $32 million deal, he’s absolutely tradable, and there are contending teams out there who’d love to have him.

But I’m saying stick with this guy. On the surface he had a bad year last season, and really there’s no escaping that fact. Dig a little deeper though, and you’ll see that actually he did what he could when put in a tough spot, a position he was not accustomed to.

It’s likely foolish to make him a starter as the younger players here have more potential, but pairing him with the starters for periods would likely bring the most productivity for both player and team as well.

It’s also on Frye to come to camp ready to accept the challenge of being a guy who just needs to do more. In some ways he’s the key to unlocking new playing styles and and varying the offensive sets for this team. With the focus firmly on the younger guys here and coming off the back of a poor season the pressure is somewhat off him as well.

Now is the time to become a key member of this team, I just hope he has it in him.

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