Orlando Magic: Jonathon Simmons will be an X-factor next season

After an inconsistent first season with the Orlando Magic, Jonathon Simmons looks to take the next step in 2018-19. Here’s what he brings to this young team.

In May, Hoops Habit writer Luke Duffy wrote about how Jonathon Simmons disappointed in his first season with the Orlando Magic. He wasn’t wrong. For someone who was expected to be a key contributor and consistent starter after signing a free agency deal in the summer of 2017, Simmons only started 50 games and provided spotty scoring.

The funny thing about this, however, is wasn’t this expected?

Simmons had only played 133 NBA games prior to last season. He had only had a year and a half in the league before taking on an increased role in Orlando. He also only averaged 16.3 minutes a game in those 133 contests.

Granted, he was with the San Antonio Spurs, and he was in the playoffs in those two seasons. His performance in the 2017 Western Conference playoffs was the impetus behind Orlando signing him to a three-year, $20 million deal. You figured that he was ready to make that next step after three years in the G League and two years under Gregg Popovich. Maybe that was wishful thinking.

The 2018-19 season, however, will be the season that Simmons pushes his two-way game to a higher level and become a genuine X-factor for Orlando.

It was borderline unfair to Simmons to expect a giant leap from the 6.2 points per game he was averaging prior to his arrival in Orlando. In 2017-18, Simmons averaged 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game, all career highs. He only averaged 29.5 minutes a night and his .465/.338/.768 shooting splits are nothing to shake your head at either, especially since his offensive game has never been considered his strongest suit.

For having a somewhat disappointing season, those numbers are really not bad considering Simmons will only be making $6 million next season.

Inconsistency marred Simmons first year in the sunshine state. One night he’d have 25 and then next he’d throw up a dud. In his 69 games, he had 20 in which he only scored in single digits. The months of February and December were particularly brutal for Simmons as 11 of his 20 games were single-digit scoring games. If you take a look at his game logs this year, you can see the up-and-down nature of his game.

Let’s look at his last nine games of last season from March 2-14. In these nine games he averaged 15.0 points a game — higher than his season average, sure, but the way in which he got there is interesting. Starting with the game on March 2, here are his scoring totals: 4, 11, 4, 9, 25, 24, 10, 35, 13. He sandwiched the best game of his season with a 10-point performance and a 13-point performance. Huh?

It’s wild because Simmons has the ability to go off. He just needs to be more consistent. He can get hot from 3 and finishes in the mid-range and in the lane well, but sometimes he just disappears. He had 27 games last season in which he put up less than 10 shots, and in seven of those, he put up 5 or less.

While it’s understandable, given that most of the time he shared a court with Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon, Simmons should be a more effective and used player in the offense if he becomes more consistent.

Orlando has made it pretty clear that Aaron Gordon is the franchise player and that developing both Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba is imperative for next season. I’ve written before about how I think Isaac should be a big part of the offense next season and that maybe Fournier should take on a smaller role. With that being said, given Simmons’ two-way potential, could he become another focal point in the offense?

Simmons’ development this season really does depend on what is going on around him. This season will involve a lot of experimentation in lineups and playing time. Now that Isaac is back to full health, he will probably take precedence over guys like Fournier and Simmons in the offense. If they decide to work him in slowly, they will look to Simmons for enhanced scoring.

With this added year of development, in an offense that will rely on him for scoring every night, does he prove that he can do so on a nightly basis? He certainly will be a cog within this team who will be looked at for leadership given his age and experience, but will his offense take the next step? These are all questions that need to be answered next season.

Personally, I think his offense could, and should, take the next step with new head coach Steve Clifford at the helm, especially with increased efficiency.

On defense, he doesn’t necessarily fit the new Orlando mold of long wings, but he’s athletic and can bully guards defensively. He will be a guy they look to for great perimeter defense and continue this trend of strong defense in Orlando that they are trying to institute.

Personally, I think a likely scenario for Simmons this year is moving him to the sixth man role. Yes, I believe that Fournier could be the better guy for that job, but the likelihood of that happening is low. With Isaac taking more responsibility, Simmons can be looked at as the go-to scoring guy for the second unit.

He could still get 25-30 minutes a night and be effective scoring the ball. It’d also take some pressure off of him, because he is used to a second unit role. It wouldn’t even really be a demotion, and long-term, it would provide some success for both himself and the team.

Jonathon Simmons could become the Trevor Ariza of Orlando — shoot, make plays, defend and lead. That’s what the Magic should be looking for from him and it’s what he should provide next season.