Orlando Magic: Michael Carter-Williams is a perfect addition

The addition of Michael Carter-Williams to the Orlando Magic’s roster at this point in the season is the perfect one.

Sunday night saw the Orlando Magic trot out their newest member in an important win over the Atlanta Hawks, as point guard Michael Carter-Williams took to the court. He was doing so having been signed to a 10-day contract by the organization.

With injuries piling up for the Magic, the additional spot was granted by the league, allowing Carter-Williams to join. The 2014 Rookie of the Year certainly has his detractors, and he may prove to be nothing more than a tiny flash in the pan as the franchise continue pushing towards the playoffs.

But the timing of the signing, combined with the player that MCW has shown himself to be over the last few years, represents a kind of perfect storm for the individual and the organization. Let’s examine how this was a win for the Magic at the most crucial time of the year.

Adding any player for the stretch run of a campaign can reinvigorate a roster, and the signing of Carter-Williams is no different. Whether he stays beyond the 10 days or not, he brings some freshness to what has been a rollercoaster regular season.

He also takes some of the burden off of D.J. Augustin, who is having one of his best seasons as a pro and proving us all wrong in the process. His arrival also forces Jerian Grant to up his production, or risk being out of the league next season.

Grant’s stint with the Magic has been underwhelming, although he has shown in recent weeks his ability to hit an open shot or two. Perhaps his time in Orlando would’ve been different if he were playing off the lead guard more, but the team already has players like Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross who fill that role better.

More from Orlando Magic

• The most exciting NBA team you won’t see on national TV this season
• 5 NBA teams on the rise that will surprise everyone in 2023-24
• Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title
• Orlando Magic draft odds: What are the chances of landing the #1 pick?
• Franz Wagner has smashed the sophomore slump for the Orlando Magic

If we assume Grant is gone next season, and really he should be, then Carter-Williams could find himself with a job as the backup in Orlando, and there’s a couple of reasons this could work. The first is that Markelle Fultz, acquired at the trade deadline, still has no clear timetable on his return from injury.

If his issues drag into next season, or he never makes it back to the court while a member of the Magic, Carter-Williams could become the clear No. 2 behind Augustin. The organization entered this campaign with arguably the worst rotation of point guards in the league.

In under a year they have managed to add a former first overall pick and now a former Rookie of the Year to their ranks, as well as Isaiah Briscoe, who before his injury was improving at a faster pace than anybody else on the team (other than perhaps Wesley Iwundu).

To be able to do this shows the forward-thinking nature of the front office, which is trying to build a playoff outfit through various channels and has done fairly well in this regard so far. They also seem happy to take on reclamation projects, and the attitude of Carter-Williams in this regard could be huge for their postseason push too.

Few players have seen their stock in the league drop as dramatically as Carter-Williams, who shot out of the gates as a rookie, only to suit up for four different teams (not including the Magic) by the time he was 27. He began the season with the Houston Rockets, and despite their injury issues, was traded to the Chicago Bulls.

He was waived right away, and given that he had played for the Bulls already before, it didn’t look good that they had no interest in keeping him around. Chicago is rebuilding, and clearly saw no future trade value in him. But if given the chance, he can rebuild his career with the Magic, even if his skill-set is tougher to back in today’s NBA.

Just having him on the roster as he tries to stay in the league will be important, since that kind of fighting spirit is needed if it’s going to get into the postseason. Defensively, though, is where Michael Carter-Williams should excel while in Orlando.

The Magic have been a top-10 defensive unit all season, ranked eighth in defensive rating (107.2). MCW can help them to climb even higher. In the win over the Hawks, he made some notable defensive plays and got back diligently, while also pushing the ball up the court to get their second unit going offensively.

Carter-Williams played for Magic head coach Steve Clifford when both were a part of the Charlotte Hornets, and after just 16 minutes with the Magic it’s clear he feels comfortable within the game plan and style that Clifford makes his teams play with. Clifford echoed these thoughts himself before the game, according to NBA.com:

"“He’s a terrific defender. He can guard numbers of different guys, point guards, wings, [and] he’s also a very good team defender. He’s one of the few guys that can both contain the ball, and create turnovers. Very long, and he’s got a good knack for playing off the ball.”"

As part of a second unit featuring center Khem Birch and Iwundu, the Magic won’t see their defensive numbers fall off badly when the starters go to the bench. In fact, it is this defensive-minded bench that could be the key to clamping down opponents for the entire 48 minutes of a game.

If we look to the near future too, the addition of Carter-Williams still makes sense. The case to get him before now has been made here before, and the Magic gave up nothing to get the chance to test him out for a limited stretch. Since taking over, the new front office has seemed enamored with long and athletic young players to fill out the roster.

Imagine a five-man unit on the court consisting of Carter-Williams, forward Jonathan Isaac and center Mohamed Bamba. Put the improving two-way play of Aaron Gordon and Iwundu’s defensive intensity around that, and it would be a frightening proposition for most other teams in the league.

He’s only guaranteed 10 days for now, but as long as Michael Carter-Williams is on the roster, lineups like this become a possibility. That is why getting him at this stage of the year was the perfect thing to do. It injects some more fight into their ranks, and given the history of player and coach in Charlotte, it won’t take him long to find his rhythm.

It may also yet turn their point guard rotation into the quirkiest in the league, and one that could pay huge dividends down the line. For the next week or so Michael Carter-Williams, will be performing his audition for a bigger role, and he is off to a good start already.