National Basketball Association

Orlando Magic Position-by-Position Outlook

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

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Feb 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Mario Hezonja (23) react after defeating the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Magic defeated the Hawks 117-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic gather together for the first time this year as Media Day takes place Monday. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2017 roster.

Welcome to the Orlando Magic’s 2017 season.

The team gathers together officially for the first time Monday for the team’s media day before beginning practice Tuesday morning. All the questions and worries about the Magic’s massive makeover from the summer will get their answers sooner or later.

Training camp will be a time to build chemistry and get things focused for the Playoff run the franchise is sure to desire this season. The Magic have a long 82-game trek on their way.

It all stars with a single practice.

The group the Orlando Magic will bring with them into this critical season for the franchise is set. I tis an entirely new, versatile and diverse roster.

The Magic aimed for an identity and to improve their defense. They largely did that in acquiring defensive big men like Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo and hiring coach Frank Vogel.

The Magic aimed for more veteran leadership where players like Ibaka and Jeff Green will surely help. They aimed for more shooting and picked that up in Jodie Meeks, Ibaka and C.J. Wilcox.

The core for the Magic remains the same. The way the Magic season turns will still rely on how the players they have cultivated in the last few years shake out. The rebuild is not as over as everyone would suggest.

The season still comes down to several key questions: Is Nikola Vucevic able to play defense for an elite team? Can Aaron Gordon take the next step in his career? Can Elfrid Payton return to his rookie year level of defense? Can Evan Fournier duplicate his breakout 2017 season? Can Mario Hezonja take his next step after an uneven rookie year?

These are all critical questions for the Magic. As critical as the questions about the team’s newcomers.

It will all be part of the fun of training camp and the preseason before the games start counting in late October.

Before the Magic get there though, they have to look at what they have. As Frank Vogel told OrlandoMagic.com, he has pieces to a puzzle. He will have to put those together in the next month.

That seems like the best place to start this first day of the Magic season.

For the past two weeks at Orlando Magic Daily, we have looked at the outlook for all 14 players expected to make the roster this season. The team is ready to roll and so are we for this 2016-17 season.

Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the Orlando Magic this season.

Feb 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ish Smith (1) dribbles against the defense of Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Orlando Magic won 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Point Guards

No position probably was under more scrutiny or attention last year than the point guard position for the Orlando Magic. Certainly after the season ended too.

After his rookie year, Elfrid Payton seemingly established himself as the somewhat flawed but still promising future of the franchise at this all-important position.

He seemed like he could possibly become a triple-double machine. With his length and athleticism, he could be a strong defender. He just had to reel in that pesky shot.

Payton through struggled in his second year. Something did not click. His scoring numbers and shooting numbers improved but everything else stayed relatively flat. His defensive numbers shrank.

The summer found more turmoil. It seemed he clashed with coach Scott Skiles and there was a bit of a showdown over him and his future. The Magic came out of that more invested in Payton than before. Orlando is banking on him becoming a reliable point guard option in his third year.

The Magic entered the offseason knowing they needed to improve their point guard depth. A continuing story throughout last season was the Magic’s lack of point guard depth after C.J. Watson went down and Payton struggled with injury. Orlando was searching for help at point guard. Payton had to play through it and clearly had lost a step.

The Magic solved much of that problem with one of their first free-agent signings.

D.J. Augustin has made a long career in the NBA as a spot starter. He is a quality player who should fit in as a solid backup. Augustin can provide shooting and playmaking.

He will do plenty to push Payton in practice, without actually challenging him for the starting role. Augustin is not a strong defender and probably is not going to help a winning team as a starting point guard.

If that does not work, the Magic can turn to their supposed backup point guard from last year in C.J. Watson.

Watson too is a very capable backup. He just never got the chance to show it last year. Watson missed the majority of the season with a mysterious calf strain. When he finally returned, Watson had to deal with Brandon Jennings in the lineup.

When healthy, Watson is a good shooter and solid, versatile guard player. That should have some benefit for the Magic bench whether he gets minutes or has to fill in when the team goes through a rough patch or faces injuries.

Next: Shooting Guards

Nov 14, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando Magic forward Evan Fournier (10) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Shooting Guards

Unlike the point guard situation, the shooting guard situation saw its turmoil get resolved this summer.

The Orlando Magic believed they had a budding star in Victor Oladipo last year, but he struggled to take the next step up and play efficiently as a scorer while delivering more wins to his team. Skiles moved Oladipo to the bench and it statistically made sense to do it. And Oladipo struggled early in the season only to have his second straight late-year push to restore some hope.

Meanwhile, Evan Fournier was consistent throughout the year. That includes his surprising run of scoring early in the season. The Magic had found someone consistent who could help spread the floor and fill in gaps in the rotation.

Orlando knew it would have to pay Fournier in the summer, just like Oladipo’s contract was going to come up the following summer. And the team probably also knew Fournier was not a long-term solution at small forward either.

That brought a decision point this summer. Maybe a false one. But the Magic made a decision anyway.

The team traded Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder and signed Fournier to a reasonable five-year, $85-million. Fournier is established now as the Magic’s starting shooting guard.

And with this lineup, that could be as important as anything else.

He is one of the few players in the Magic’s starting lineup who is reliable as a 3-point shooter — certainly the only one in the proposed starting lineup on the perimeter.

Fournier was a good fill-in-the-gaps player last year, but the Magic may need more from him to bolster the offense this year.

Behind Fournier, the Magic aimed to load up on shooters.

They acquired Jodie Meeks in a trade to add some much-needed shooting. And Meeks certainly can shoot and shoot it very well. That has how he has made his career in the league.

Meeks though will be out until at least the beginning of November. Lingering effects of his foot injury from last year continue to bother him after offseason surgery in July.

Questions about Meeks certainly are high right now after Meeks played in all but three games last year with a fracture in his foot. That injury still lingers for Meeks.

So it is unclear if the Magic can truly rely on his shooting.

And that might be why the Magic acquired another shooter in C.J. Wilcox.

Wilcox though is much more unproven. He can shoot the ball well, but he has played only 43 games in two seasons. And not much in that time. The Los Angeles Clippers just did not have room to play him.

The Magic, especially with the Meeks injury, figure to play him more. That could mean Wilcox, a former first round pick, finally finds his fit in the NBA. Or it could mean the Magic are stretching thin with a player who cannot quite make it in the NBA.

Watson and Mario Hezonja can also play shooting guard. The Magic are shored up at this position should they need to mix and match some. And even Watson and Hezonja are good shooters.

So the Magic shored up some perimeter shooting with this position now.

Apr 1, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Milwaukee won 113-110. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Small Forward

Many probably figured the Orlando Magic would be looking for wing help this year and a true small forward in free agency to complete their lineup. Aaron Gordon, the versatile tweener that he is, seemed a better fit at the power forward than on the perimeter considering his struggles shooting.

The Magic acquired Serge Ibaka and Aaron Gordon now plays the small forward instead of power forward. It is something of a seismic shift for him.

Gordon has said he considers himself a small forward. He has more comfort playing on the perimeter rather than the post. And he certainly is not a true power forward. His versatility will still have him playing some 4. But, for the first time in his career, Gordon will spend more time on the perimeter.

It is hard to say whether Gordon can adequately fill this role, of course. His 3-point shooting is improving, but is hardly strong yet. He is unproven as a driver and slasher from the perimeter. Gordon still gets a lot of his value from running in transition and working the offensive glass.

The Magic know Gordon can still improve by leaps and bounds. Look at how he improved before breaking his jaw last summer. He had a fully healthy summer (recent ankle injury notwithstanding) to improve and knowing this would be his role.

Frank Vogel seems excited of the possibility of playing Gordon on the perimeter — especially defensively. And it did not take long for Paul George comparisons to get dusted off considering the coach.

It is a big year for Gordon who is still trying to establish himself in this league and define his role in his career.

Mario Hezonja also has a big year ahead of him and likely plays the minutes behind Gordon at the 3 in general lineups.

Hezonja had an uneven rookie year. He never could gain Scott Skiles’ trust and he seemed to lose some of his confidence as he tried to stay on the floor. He was never fully unleashed as he struggled on defense and to stay on the court. Hezonja needs some space to freelance.

A more positive coaching environment from Frank Vogel should help. But, at the same time, Hezonja needs to deliver too.

Magic fans know he can be a knock-down shooter and many suspect he can run on the ball some too. Playing with the reserves, Hezonja could be the guy that leads the group on many nights and fills a sixth man role. That would be a huge step forward for the young player.

Jeff Green too could see some minutes at small forward as, like Aaron Gordon, he can play both forward positions.

This position group though has questions at the top and the whole season may rest on whether Gordon can truly take a step forward as a player.

Feb 27, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) drives past Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard (11) during the second quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Power Forward

For the longest time, Magic fans have lamented lacking a rim-protecting power forward. It was a player the team was missing to help cover up Nikola Vucevic’s shortcomings. The only problem was there were only two or three of them around the league. They were virtual unicorns.

When the opportunity on Draft night came to acquire one of those rare species. The Orlando Magic pounced on the opportunity and gave immediate credence to their defense in the process.

Serge Ibaka gives the Magic an impactful defensive player for the first time since Dwight Howard left and raised expectations for the team by his mere presence.

Ibaka has his flaws for sure — the Magic may end up over relying on his offense that has never quite proven itself. And there are questions whether he can bring his defensive game back up to the insane levels they were at a few years ago. But undoubtedly there is new energy about the team and a more firm and cemented identity with Ibaka in at power forward.

Ibaka has the ability to protect the rim and challenge shots at the rim while also blowing up pick and rolls and defending on the perimeter. His play during the Playoffs was critical to bringing the Thunder one win away from the NBA Finals and upsetting the San Antonio Spurs.

He also can stretch the floor some. But he has never been a high usage player on offense. The Magic may look to increase some of his offensive load this year and make him more central to their offense.

Behind Ibaka, the Magic are likely to use versatile forwards like Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green.

Green was one of the more controversial offseason acquisitions — more for his eye-popping one-year salary than anything else. But Green has proven to be at least a solid player. Especially if a team does not over rely on him.

Green is good for a big game every once in a while and can be overall solid otherwise. There will be games where Green plays well and games where Green disappears. That screams a player coming off the bench, and that appears how the Magic plan to use him.

Gordon too could still see some minutes a power forward, a position many peg him at over small forward. The Magic have some true versatility and ability to play both big and small because of the lineup versatility of their forwards.

If the Magic need anything to complete this roster, it is probably a true power forward to allow for the ultimate lineup versatility and to match up with anyone.

Nov 24, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao (17) defends Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Center

The biggest question on the Orlando Magic roster undoubtedly is at the center spot. There seems to be a true position battle for the starting spot, a situation that is unlike anywhere on the roster.

Nikola Vucevic is the incumbent and likely starter. No one seems willing to complain about that considering the Magic’s expected dearth of offense.

Vucevic is as skilled as they come on the offensive end. He can work well in the post and step out and hit jumpers. He is one of the best passing big men in the league (at least, by assist rate) and is extremely versatile.

No player has been as consistent as Vucevic for the Magic in their starting lineup.

Where he struggles is on the defensive end. And considering this is the core of the Magic’s team now, it does raise questions.

Ibaka is the rim-protecting 4 he has always supposedly needed. So the excuses for Vucevic to struggle individually on defense or for the team to do so seems to be gone.

Orlando is expecting the team to take a big step forward and that includes Vucevic on the defensive end, however it comes. The pressure on Vucevic is immense to shore up his biggest weakness.

That pressure only got bigger when the Magic went out and signed Bismack Biyombo to a long-term contract.

Biyombo is the opposite of Vucevic. He is a player that is all defense — one of the best rim protectors in the league — and virtually no offense. By box score plus-minus, Biyombo’s offensive struggles outweighed his defensive brilliance. Biyombo only showed what he could do potentially in the Playoffs when Jonas Valanciunas went down with an injury.

There is opportunity here for Biyombo. And he should push Vucevic for starter’s minutes — with that salary, it would be disappointing for him not to.

Even if Biyombo never starts, his rim protecting off the bench is an immense luxury. The Magic should be able to have a rim protector on the floor at all times. That should make the Magic’s defense formidable for all 48 minutes of the game.

Vucevic and Biyombo should take most of the minutes at center. But Ibaka will certainly get some time at the 5 as a small-ball center for smaller lineups. And there are some suggestions Aaron Gordon could play some center in “death lineups.”

The only other option at center would be rookie Stephen Zimmerman.

The Magic’s second-round pick is not likely ready to see a NBA floor for meaningful minutes. He has plenty of skill and talent, but has to put on some weight and muscle to bang around with the bigger players the NBA will offer.

There you have it. Those are your 2017 Orlando Magic.

There will be a lot of questions to answer as the season gets set to begin. And they begin getting answered at Monday’s Media Day and then the first day of training camp Tuesday.

Orlando Magic Daily will be back later today with full coverage of media day as the Magic season begins.

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