Orlando Magic: Thoughts on the addition of Shelvin Mack

The Orlando Magic have had a quiet offseason, but adding Shelvin Mack is the kind of low-risk, high-reward move that could pay off for them.

The Orlando Magic have not been big players in this summer’s free agency sweepstakes.

They made no major additions, but have now gotten themselves on the board with the signing of Shelvin Mack on a two-year, $12 million deal.

It’s the kind of move that barely registers when you consider the crazy offseason we’ve gone through so far, but it is a largely positive one for the team.

With that in mind, let’s examine what bringing Mack into the fold will mean to the Magic in the short and long term.

Short-term

The Magic recently waived C.J. Watson, who was entering the final year of his deal and was due to be paid $5 million.

In getting rid of Watson, the team opened up just shy of $9 million in cap space.

This may have been plunged into Mack, but there is no question that he is the better player of the two.

Mack had some nice moments off the bench for the Utah Jazz last season, and averaged 7.8 points per game. He appeared in 55 games, mostly as a backup to George Hill. He will likely assume a similar role in Orlando, initially at least.

Mack is also the kind of player the team needs at this particular moment, and at 27 years old is only entering his prime now.

It would be great if the Magic made the playoffs next season, as they’ve been bottom of their division for five straight years now. But even if they don’t manage to achieve that, Mack makes this team a little deeper, and really that’s all Orlando can hope for right now.

He is also on a very movable contract, so if a playoff hopeful wants to add some depth before the trade deadline, Mack could be an ideal candidate.

He’ll be given extended run (it’s hard not to see him play more than the 17.5 minutes he’s averaged for his career to date) to prove he could be a valuable asset to another team. If the Magic are faltering as the season progresses, offloading Mack for even a second round pick would at least help them down the road.

One area of concern with the addition of Mack, however, is his three-point shooting. It’s no secret that the league is as high on spacing and shooting than ever before.

This was one area the Magic faltered in last season, shooting 32.8 percent as a team from three-point range. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder (32.6 percent) had a lower conversion rate.

Mack doesn’t exactly help in this regard, as he is a career 32 percent three point shooter. It’s a stretch to compare him to Payton, but both players are at their best when driving and slashing.

Orlando Magic

Perhaps it was shortsighted of the team to sign a guy who possesses a similar skill-set to their starting point guard.

After all, isn’t the best way to get ahead in today’s NBA by being as flexible and multi-dimensional as possible?

There’s no reason Mack won’t succeed here, but he’s not bringing anything dramatically different to the team either.

Long-term

Returning to the subject of Payton, is it possible Mack was brought in as a potential replacement? As mentioned, he’s only entering his prime now.

The Magic have continually tried to surround Payton with veteran point guards to show him the ropes, with Watson and D.J. Augustin two recents examples of this.

But adding Mack feels a little different, a bit more like direct competition for those starter’s minutes. Payton’s rookie deal is also up after this season, and with Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic having received extensions already, there’s only so much money to go around.

This is even more true when you consider Bismack Biyombo is making $17 million next season, and that Aaron Gordon will have to get paid in the near future also.

It would seem to indicate that Payton may be the odd man out, and Mack could be a cheap alternative, at least until his own contract comes up for renewal.

It’s a smart move by the team as well. After all, how much would you be willing to part with to tie down a player to a long-term deal with career averages of 10.8 points and 6.5 assists per game?

Throw in the fact he’s also a 28.9 percent three point shooter, and who can blame the Magic for looking at other options?

With no big names going to come to the team this summer, or any time soon if we’re being honest, Mack represents the perfect kind of stopgap player. Also worth considering is the fact Mack played with some noteworthy bigs last season in Utah.

From the offensively gifted Enes Kanter, to the paint prowling Rudy Gobert, Mack’s pick-and-roll abilities dovetailed well with both for different reasons.

In Vucevic and Biyombo, the Magic have two players who mirror the skill-sets of their counterparts with the Jazz, and Mack should be able to thrive off of that. While that familiarity will be comforting, it’s a potential long-term tandem with Jonathan Isaac that should really excite.

Summer League is not a good barometer in deciding how good or bad a player can be. But in the limited game time we saw of Isaac, he looked like he’ll be a nightmare to guard in the pick-and-roll.

He’s long enough to do damage in the paint, and can step out and hit threes. It’s something the Magic have sorely lacked for over five years now, and Mack could really benefit from playing with a guy like this.

Verdict

Really there are no drawbacks to the Orlando Magic taking a flier on Shelvin Mack, and it has to go down as a win for the front office. A minor win, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

If he fails, he’s not taking up much cap space. If the team want to go in another direction, he’s easily movable.

If he succeeds, he either becomes a reliable backup who is being paid accordingly, or else the team can think about moving on from the Elfrid Payton era altogether.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

Given that this time one year ago the team was throwing $15 million at Jeff Green, it’s got to be seen as an improvement — both in the short- and long-term.