Orlando Magic: 5 takeaways from 2018 NBA Summer League
By Chris Murch
3. The Lakeland Magic will be strong this year
After finishing the 2017-18 campaign with a record of 28-22 and getting to the G League playoffs in the franchise’s first ever season, the Lakeland Magic have reason to be excited after some key players finished Summer League strong.
Two-way player Troy Caupain showed awesome stretches of play, finishing his five games in Vegas averaging 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. He also shot 46 percent from the field and played great defense.
Caupain was a stud for Lakeland last year averaging 15.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. He is the type of high-energy, stat-sheet stuffing player that the Magic need coming off the bench this season. Under the terms of his two-way deal, Caupain will need to split time between Lakeland and Orlando, but I fully expect him to play some good minutes for the top team this season.
Another Lakeland guard in Rodney Purvis also showed flashes. Familiar to Orlando fans because of the 16 games played with them last season, Purvis played all five games in Vegas and had some moments.
Although his numbers show that his shooting was subpar at best (22 percent), Purvis only averaged 16 minutes a game. It’s hard to get a rhythm shooting-wise playing so few minutes. In the final game against OKC, Purvis showed out, scoring 20 points, hitting four 3s and leading a 16-point comeback late in the game. It was a strong performance for someone who will spend the majority of the season in Lakeland, and bodes well for his game moving forward.
I fully expect Lakeland to contend for the G League playoffs again in 2018-19. With guys like Caupain, Purvis, Byron Mullens and (potentially) new guys like Tyler Rawson and Jacobi Boykins joining the team, look for some fireworks out of Lakeland.