Veteran Ridnour contemplating future following season in Orlando
Luke Ridnour has played for 11 different head coaches since being a first-round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
But not until the final two months of this past season with the Orlando Magic could Ridnour say he had taken instructions from someone so close to him in age. Barely a week before the backup point guard's 34th birthday, the Magic promoted 37-year-old James Borrego from an assistant under Jacque Vaughn to the person in charge of a team headed to its third consecutive non-playoff season.
From late November to early January, Ridnour had trouble getting any playing time from Vaughn. He appeared in only three of 19 games over that stretch, and two of those were in the second halves of contests in which the Magic trailed by a considerable margin. It appeared that he was on his way to becoming little more than an updated version of Ronnie Price, another over-30 guard who played in fewer than half of the Magic's games the previous season before being waived in July.
But with the coaching change came more consistency in how Ridnour was utilized behind Elfrid Payton, the rookie who ended up leading all first-year players in assists. He averaged more than 15 minutes in 17 games over a two-month stretch, with his only extended absence coming when he missed three games in early March with a strained right hamstring.
His final game came April 1 against the San Antonio Spurs. Ridnour did not accompany the Magic on their ensuing road trip to Minnesota and Milwaukee -- two of the places where he played before coming to Orlando -- because his wife, Katie, was about to give birth to their fourth son.
After Ryker Joshua was born April 8, Ridnour returned to the Magic and raised the possibility that his 12th season might turn out to be his last.
"I don't need to hang on, that's for sure," he said. "But we'll see what the opportunities are and pray about it after the season. That's kind of how I go about it."
WHAT HE DID RIGHT
With eight players younger than 25, the Magic needed Ridnour, Willie Green, Ben Gordon and Channing Frye to provide an example of how to approach the game in a professional manner. While the 47 games in which he played (all in a non-starting role) represented a career low, his player efficiency rating and true shooting percentage were both up from when he split time between Milwaukee and Charlotte the previous season. For the eighth time in his career, he shot better than 85 percent from the free-throw line.
WHERE HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE
In a statistical discrepancy you rarely see from a guard, Ridnour made 55.4 percent of his shots from 16 feet out to the 3-point arc but only 31.7 of his attempts from long range. He hit more than one 3-pointer in a game just four times, including his final appearance of the season in the loss to the Spurs.
BEST GAME
March 15 vs. Cleveland. After placing in double figures in only two of his previous 39 games, Ridnour scored 10 points in the second quarter alone. He finished with 15 points and three steals in a game where the Magic shot 47.3 percent and had 86 points through three quarters. The problem was the Cavaliers shot 61.3 percent and had 100 points over the same stretch.
ADVANCED STATS
10.0 player efficiency rating (based on 15.0 league average), 50.7 true shooting percentage (accounting for free throws and 3-pointers), 14.8 usage rate (possessions used per 40 minutes).
LOOKING AHEAD
Like Gordon, the Magic signed Ridnour to a two-year contract where the second season is reportedly not guaranteed. At $2.75 million, Ridnour made the same amount of money as Nikola Vucevic, although the center's contract extension kicks in next season and will pay him $11.25 million for 2015-16.
You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.
