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Are The Orlando Magic Turning A Corner In 2015-16?

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 30, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Scott Skiles talks with guard Victor Oladipo (5) as the game goes onto overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 139-136 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Scott Skiles talks with guard Victor Oladipo (5) as the game goes onto overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 139-136 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Orlando Magic
Dec 1, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Magic defeated the Timberwolves 96-93. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

To The Victor Goes The Spoils (Of The Bench)

If you were wondering why Victor Oladipo and his all-encompassing wingspan weren’t mentioned among Orlando’s talented defenders, it’s because his role with the Magic deserves a section all of its own.

As a long-armed, freak-of-nature athlete, Oladipo has the speed and instincts to make breathtaking plays on either side of the ball.

He’s has struggled offensively this season, averaging 14.5 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting from the field and 26.5 percent shooting from three-point range, but he’s still as effective as ever defensively. Even Phoenix’s formidable backcourt attack of Bledsoe and Brandon Knight struggled to create space against Payton and Oladipo’s full-court pressure early on.

Even more encouraging, Skiles’ controversial (at the time) decision to move quite possibly the team’s shiniest cornerstone into a sixth man role has paid off for Orlando. The Magic are 6-2 in that eight-game span, with Oladipo averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game on 43.2 percent shooting.

“We did it for a couple of reasons: to balance out our roster a little bit from the first and second unit, and also to allow Victor possibly to score a little bit more with the second unit, which he’s done,” Skiles explained. “So we’ve still got to find some balance there with having him score but having him also make some good decisions with the ball, spreading it around, and he’s done that at times as well.

“He’s, if not our most dynamic athletic-type player, he’s one of them, and so far he’s done a good job in that role.”

Skiles said Oladipo’s move to the bench might not be permanent, since the team is still feeling things out. But just like Orlando’s defense and Skiles’ Magic tenure in general, so far, so good.

Next: Improvements

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