Orlando Magic: NBA trade deadline winners and losers
By Luke Duffy
Orland Magic NBA trade deadline winner: Chuma Okeke
No matter what way you look at it, Okeke has been one of the biggest winners from the Magic’s trade deadline. After missing all of his rookie season with an ACL tear, he had shown some flashes even before the veterans were moved on. We’ve already explored in more detail his positive impact here, but Okeke is suddenly in a favorable situation.
The way Gordon left for the Denver Nuggets has fans rallying around Okeke because of his offensive abilities so early in his career. The kind of play that fans expected to come from Gordon, but it never did. Having the backing of all fans in what is a tanking year is a good place for any young player to be.
Speaking of it being a year to tank, Okeke finds himself getting a ton of playing time to make mistakes and learn how he best fits with his teammates. The only thing is, he’s not exactly making a lot of mistakes at the moment. The scoring is there, and it is smooth from outside of the paint. Defensively Okeke is only going to get better as well.
With both Fultz and Isaac out with ACL tears themselves, Okeke is getting every opportunity to show that fans should be as excited about him as anybody else on the roster. Right now he is taking that chance. It is exciting to think about how good he could be next to Fultz and Anthony. All of a sudden scoring might not seem like so much of a chore for future versions of the Magic.
This feels like bonus territory for everybody involved. Okeke was certainly drafted with the intention of being an important player for the franchise, but most players are. They don’t always work out but the early returns from Okeke getting more minutes, more starts and more of the ball have benefitted everybody.