By John DentonMay 10, 2016
ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic’s season was filled with some dramatic highs and lows, notably the promising 19-13 start and the crushing 2-15 stretch throughout January and early February.
That up-and-down play resulted in the Magic making a 10-win improvement over the previous season for just the fourth double-digit jump from year to year in franchise history. But it also caused the Magic to miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year.
Clearly, the Magic have many of the pieces already in place needed to put together a contending team in the Eastern Conference. Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier make up a solid core, while young players Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja are filled with promise.
However, there are still plenty of holes in the roster that the Magic must address this summer in the draft, trade market and free agency. Expect GM Rob Hennigan and head coach Scott Skiles to be active this offseason in helping the Magic use their available salary cap space to recruit more talent to Orlando with the hopes of building Orlando into a playoff contender.
The NBA’s pre-draft camp in Chicago is May 11-15 and the order for the NBA Draft will be set in the lottery on May 17. The NBA Draft is June 23 and the free-agent courting period begins on July 1.
Over the next month, we’ll look back at the play of each of the Magic’s main players from last season.
PLAYER: Aaron Gordon
POSITION: Power forward/small forward
NBA SEASONS: 2
AGE: 20
2015-16 SEASON STATS: 78 games (37 starts), 9.2 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 1.6 apg., 0.8 spg., 0.7 bpg., 47.3 percent FG, 29.6 percent 3FG, 66.8 percent FT.
CAREER NBA STATS: 125 games (45 starts), 7.7 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 1.3 apg., 0.6 spg., 0.6 bpg., 46.6 FG percent, 28.9 3FG percent, 68.1 FT percent.
2015-16 SEASON HIGHS: 22 points, twice, most recently April 13 at Charlotte; 16 rebounds, twice, most recently March 7 at Golden State; six assists, March 26 vs. Chicago; six steals, Feb. 19 vs. Dallas; four blocks, twice, most recently Feb. 7 vs. Atlanta; 39 minutes, Jan. 31 vs. Boston.
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Gordon was one of the Magic’s most improved players and that made him more of an important player on both ends of the floor this past season. Gordon proved to be a vital cog on the defensive end because of his versatility in guarding both small forwards and power forwards. And on the offensive end of the floor, Gordon’s confidence in his game and in his jump shot soared, making him a threat from spots all over the floor. Gordon also used his muscle and hustle to twice grab 16 rebounds in a game and haul in double-digit boards 15 times on the season. Gordon announced himself to the rest of the basketball world in February when he pulled off four jaw-dropping dunks during the Slam Dunk Contest at the NBA All-Star Game Weekend. In a highly controversial vote, Gordon finished second in the event, but it sparked his play over the second half of the season (12 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 2.0 apg., 1.1 spg., 48.3 FG percent after the all-star break) for the Magic.
WHAT WENT WRONG: It is no secret that Gordon’s outside shot still needs a lot of work, but if he can make as much progress this summer as he did during the break between his rookie and second seasons he should be a competent threat from the perimeter. Gordon actually made 29 more 3-pointers this past season than he did as a rookie, but his percentage only rose a couple of ticks because of his vastly increased attempts. Gordon also needs to add to his offensive arsenal in terms of one-on-one moves off the dribble. Too many times last season, he forced contested shots or spun into the lane out of control when given the ball as the shot clock was winding down. Defensively, more physical power forwards such as Zach Randolph and Taj Gibson gave him more trouble than others, so more weight and muscle could help improve his already stellar post defense.
FUTURE ROLE WITH MAGIC: Gordon is a key piece to what the Magic are building going forward because of his blossoming talent, commitment to defense and his willingness to work in order to improve. Even though he’s played just two NBA seasons and he’s only 20 years old, Gordon is one of the most mature and focused players in the Magic’s locker room. The coaching staff loves him because of his defensive versatility and his willingness to do the dirty work on that end of the floor. Add in some more offensive improvement and Gordon could very well become a go-to player for the Magic in the very near future. Like with fellow young players Evan Fournier, Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja, Gordon’s ability to improve his game could go a long way in helping the Magic make major strides as a team next season.
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.