DRAFT PICKS: Round 1: None Round 2: None
| Draft History | |||
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 |
| 22. Courtney Lee | No Selection | 11. J.J. Redick | 11. Fran Vazquez |
| * Draft rights traded | |||
2008–2009 Record
- 59-23, in Eastern Conference finals
Offensive
- 111.0 (9th)
Defensive
- 103.6 (1st)
Under Contract:
- G: Rafer Alston
- C-F: Tony Battie
- C: Dwight Howard
- G: Courtney Lee
- F: Rashard Lewis
- G: Jameer Nelson
- G-F: Mickael Pietrus
- G: J.J. Redick
Free Agents:
- C: Adonal Foyle, (Unrestricted)
- F-C: Marcin Gortat, (Restricted)
- G: Tyronn Lue, (Unrestricted)
- G-F: Jeremy Richardson, (Restricted)
Options:
- G: Anthony Johnson, (Player Option)
- F: Hedo Turkoglu, (Early termination)
Areas of Strength:
The Magic became an elite defensive team this season and, thanks to the absence of Kevin Garnett in Boston for the last two months, led the league in defensive efficiency. Dwight Howard came back from Beijing with a renewed focus on the defensive end of the floor and became more of a presence in the paint. That allowed his teammates to be more aggressive on the perimeter. So when the offense isn’t there on a particular night, the Magic can rely on their defense to help them win games.Needs Work:
As we saw in the Playoffs, the Magic lack a killer instinct. They lost several fourth-quarter leads against the Sixers and Celtics as they went away from Howard and struggled to find ways to score. Unfortunately, late-game toughness and leadership are not easy to acquire.
Two Stats That Matter:
- The Magic ranked first in the league by allowing only 39.3 points in the paint per 100 possessions.
- The Magic were 40-7 when they shot 36 percent or better from 3-point range.
The Way To Go:
The Magic don’t have a pick in this draft (at least they can’t mess it up this year) and, unless Hedo Turkoglu opts out of the final year of his contract or they make a trade, they will return their entire core. Of course, with Jameer Nelson recovering from shoulder surgery, they’ll have two starting point guards.
Orlando could use Rafer Alston’s expiring contract or the mid-level exception to acquire a big man to help Dwight Howard on the boards and allow Rashard Lewis to play more minutes at the small forward position. Marcin Gortat (assuming he re-signs) is a solid backup for Howard, but the only true big the Magic can play alongside the Defensive Player of the Year is Tony Battie, who’s 33 years old.
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