National Basketball Association

2017 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: C.J. Wilcox

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Mar 31, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox (30) drives to the basket in front of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Randy Foye (6) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

C.J. Wilcox is an interesting player with a lot of skill as a shooter. The one thing he missed? Opportunity. He should get that in Orlando with the Magic.

C.J. Wilcox unfortunately became one of those players. It inevitably happens to players on their rookie contracts who do not get the opportunity to play. They just become trade fodder — easily movable contracts to fill in space with just enough promise to entice a team to ask for him.

This was C.J. Wilcox’s situation this summer. And eventually the Los Angeles Clippers cut bait, trading him to the Orlando Magic for Devyn Marble — and the cap relief his non-guaranteed deal provided.

And like with any rookie traded while still on their rookie deal, that means uncertainty reigns. There is no guarantee the Magic even pick up the fourth year on Wilcox’s rookie deal before Oct. 31.

The Magic though clearly thought enough of him to give him this shot. Even with what little data the team has from just 44 games played in two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.

What Wilcox seems to bring is another shooter. And the Magic are certainly in need of more shooting. He was almost exclusively a 3-point shooting in his limited minutes last year, shooting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc. That should mean there is something there.

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And Wilcox just needs the opportunity. It was something he never got in Los Angeles, playing behind veterans and having to deal with the pressure of that win-now environment. Wilcox needed a little bit more of a slower, relaxed upbringing, so to speak.

Wilcox has not had the opportunity to do much more than take a shot per game. He just never got the minutes.

Wilcox may not get the minutes in Orlando either. He will have to fight for his spot in the rotation. Jodie Meeks and Mario Hezonja will demand some minutes at shooting guard. Meeks is injured right now though. And it is unclear if he will be healthy for training camp.

That gives Wilcox something he may never have had before — opportunity.

And he will have to prove he is worth the Magic’s attention throughout training camp and preseason with his contract status up in the air. Judging by the few times Wilcox was in the lineup, he might very well merit that attention.

What to Look For

It is not like C.J. Wilcox has never had opportunity. Every NBA player will get his opportunity at some point — whether it is because of that random game where injuries hit a team particularly hard, the coach just decides to give him his shot or whatever. NBA players do get their chances.

And when Wilcox got his chance, he has played pretty well.

Wilcox has played at least 15 minutes in four games in his career. He averaged 8.3 points per game and shot a 50 percent effective field goal percentage. Yes, this is an incredibly small sample size.

That set of games does include a 19-point performance against the Phoenix Suns last year when he played a career-high 29 minutes. Wilcox hit 8 of 13 shots and three of six from beyond the arc.

These are small sample sizes. Wilcox just has never played a lot of minutes. It is hard to know what to expect from him.

Wilcox has good size for a shooting guard and solid length. And his shot is very reliable. He just needs a chance.

Mar 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox (30) shoots in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves forward Shabazz Muhammad (15) at Target Center. The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-79. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

What Could Go Wrong

The plain fact with C.J. Wilcox is that he has not played much NBA basketball. That is just 44 games in two seasons and 268 total minutes. That is not a lot of NBA basketball.

Like so much with young players, nobody knows if he can make it in the NBA. Clearly he is good enough to stay on the roster and has potential. Nobody can fault him for not beating out J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford in Los Angeles.

Still, why did he not force his way into the rotation somehow? In two years, why did he not get a little bit more a tryout in game situations or an opportunity?

Those are hard questions to answer. Likely impossible questions to answer. Possibly unfair questions even to ask considering who the Clippers are and their needs. They were not ready to trust an unproven rookie.

But in any fashion? Not even to have more than a few random games playing meaningful minutes?

These are real questions. If Wilcox were good enough, he would have found more playing time.

Maybe he needed a new environment. He certainly needed opportunity. That is not something he has had yet in his career. Wilcox gets something of a blank slate. The Magic need shooters to spread the floor and that is what Wilcox does.

But he just has not done it in the NBA yet.

Apr 8, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox (30)reacts after teammate guard Jamal Crawford (11) hit the game winning shot in overtime against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 102-99 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Opportunity

The NBA is a league that is all about opportunity and situation. There is an element of luck involved. The whole Draft Lottery system is a series of random bounces of ping pong balls in a drum.

Players drafted to one team can fail where they would do better on another. Who is to say what Wilcox could have done getting drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers where they would have played him with impunity.

Mario Hezonja is a great example of this randomness. The Magic were not willing to let him make mistakes or throw him into the fire. His development and his ability to contribute suffered for it.

Wilcox is even further on that spectrum. He got no minutes for the Clippers, nor could he unseat the two people ahead of him. He never really had a chance.

Coming to Orlando should be a breath of fresh air for Wilcox. It is, if anything else, an opportunity to get some playing time. Jodie Meeks is not entrenched in the rotation any more than Wilcox is. And with Meeks on an expiring contract, Wilcox easily could prove himself more valuable and get that coveted fourth year.

The Meeks injury only adds to the opportunity. Wilcox should slot in as the backup shooting guard right now. There is a true opportunity for minutes.

Opportunity is very powerful. Wilcox finally has some opportunity to play and have a role on a team.

All Wilcox has to do in training camp is to go out and take it.

Apr 5, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox (30) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers center Robert Sacre (50) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Overall Outlook

C.J. Wilcox is a good shooter. If he has a NBA skill. That is it.

The problem in trying to figure out whether Wilcox will contribute at all to this team. He simply has not played enough in his two years in the NBA so far to conclude much about what he can bring to a team.

In the very few times he has played significant minutes, he contributed fine for a bench player. And then had one really good game.

The shooting will help Wilcox stick around. It was certainly enough to intrigue the Magic to acquire him this offseason.

And Wilcox will get something he has probably never had — opportunity.

The Magic are in a position to let Wilcox have a realistic shot at some playing time. Even if Jodie Meeks wins the backup shooting guard position, there will be a time during the season when the Magic feel like they should turn to Wilcox. That is the nature of the league. He did not have that opportunity behind the two guards with the Clippers.

Whether Wilcox takes advantage of this opportunity is unclear. Orlando may go ahead and take the pressure off and pick up his fourth-year option. Or they may wait to see what they have in camp before committing to this young player for another year.

What is important for Wilcox at this point in his career is to get playing time. He has the opportunity to be a positive contributor to this team. Wilcox fills a need the Magic have. He is a good insurance policy should Meeks’ injury be more serious.

That is a good thing for the Magic and a good thing for Wilcox.

Now he just has to prove he belongs in the NBA.