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By John DentonApril 19, 2016
ORLANDO – When Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier reached the NBA playoffs back in 2012 and 2013 with Philadelphia and Denver, respectively, they played alongside veterans such as Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Tony Battie and Andre Miller.
When Jason Smith and C.J. Watson got to the playoffs with New Orleans and Indiana, they were mentored by seasoned veterans such as Peja Stojakovic, David West, Trevor Ariza, Danny Granger and Rasual Butler.
Look around the NBA playoffs from this past weekend and the best teams are the ones that have players who have been through hundreds of regular-season battles and have been hardened by dozens of pressure-packed playoff games. In fact, the NBA’s best three teams – Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland – have five, eight and six players, respectively, with double-digit years of experience in the NBA.
The Orlando Magic made a 10-win improvement this past season, but they are on the outside looking in at these playoffs largely because their roster is loaded with promising, yet inexperienced players. The Magic (35-47) started strong (19-13) and had a solid closing stretch (6-3), but they fell out of postseason contention because of a six-week stretch in January and February where they dropped 15 of 17 games. Head coach Scott Skiles, someone who played in the NBA for 10 years and mentored younger players for much of them, feels that if the team had a couple of more experienced veterans it might have been able to stabilize itself during the season’s most pivotal stretch.
``We’ve got to get tougher,’’ Skiles said. ``We can’t let a two- or three-game skid turn into what it did. We’ve got to be mentally tougher and some of that does come from being more mature.’’
While the Magic are hoping for another summer of growth from Aaron Gordon (20 years old), Mario Hezonja (20), Elfrid Payton (22), Victor Oladipo (23) and Fournier (23), GM Rob Hennigan and Skiles agree that the team needs to add some veteran leadership over the summer via free agency and trades. Orlando dealt its most experienced player, Channing Frye, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February – a move designed to create more salary cap space when the free-agent courting process begins on July 1.
Now, the Magic must target which veteran players can have the biggest impact on the young and impressionable roster and lure them to Orlando.
``We feel like we need to add experience to the team and that’s something that I’ve said throughout the season,’’ Hennigan said. ``It’s something as the season played out we’ve been able to pinpoint that we do need some of that experience to stabilize us. Part of our strategy as we move into the summer is to pinpoint Plan As, Plan Bs and certain contingencies – all within the vain of trying to bring in experience to the team. We think that with the nucleus that we have, with a few veteran pieces that we’ll be well-positioned for the postseason.’’
The postseason is where Vucevic and Fournier – best friends off the court and a dynamic duo on it – would like to get back to. Vucevic reached the playoffs in his rookie season in Philly, seeing the 76ers beat Chicago in the first round and push the Boston Celtics to seven games in the second round. Fournier was on 57-win Denver team in 2013, but that squad got upset in the first round by the up-and-coming Golden State Warriors.
Vucevic, who was acquired by the Magic in July of 2012, has missed the playoffs each of his last four years, while Fournier has been out of the postseason two years in a row. Both agreed that having more veteran leadership on the team would help make their jobs easier on the Magic.
``It helps a lot having veteran guys because they know how things are done in this league,’’ said Vucevic, Orlando’s leading scorer (18.2) and rebounder (8.9) again for a second straight season. ``It’s hard for a bunch of our guys who have never gone through (a playoff push) because it’s hard to win in the NBA. Some teams start off slower and then pick it up, but then you have to be able sustain it. I think that’s where experienced players can really help us when things don’t go well. When things go well, it’s really easy. When things don’t go well, veterans can help us fight through adversity, bring the team together and show no panic, especially in those close games. If you count up all the close games that we were in – if we just win half of those then we’re in the playoffs. So that’s where experience can help us become good.’’
Added Fournier, who averaged a career-best 15.4 points per game this season: ``A guy like (Vucevic), myself or when Tobias (Harris) was here, we are starters and have a lot of responsibility, but it’s hard to tell a young guy to do something when it’s only your fourth year (in the NBA). You need more (experience). If you want to have a voice that really impacts the locker room you have to go through eight or 10 seasons and have gone through the playoffs. When you’re only 23 yourself, it’s hard to explain to other guys what to do.’’
In addition to the painful swoon in January and February, another factor that kept Orlando out of the playoff hunt was its struggles in close games. The gut-punch results happened from the very start of the season – a one-point loss to Washington in the opener after being up by five with 1:40 to play and a three-point, double-overtime loss to Oklahoma City after leading by 10 with 3:11 to play – and carried throughout the rest of the way. Two of the most painful losses of the season – an OT defeat to Charlotte at home after leading by as much as 19 points in the second half and being up 13 with 5:03 to play; and in Memphis on Jan. 25 after the Magic led by four with 17 seconds to play, came unglued in regulation and lost in OT – came during the midseason dip in play.
Overall, Orlando was 8-15 in games decided by five points or less and 6-10 in games decided by three points or fewer. Maybe, just maybe, Vucevic said, a few more veteran players on the roster can help the Magic get over the hump in those close games in the future.
``We’re getting there, but we just need some of those veteran pieces to make it happen for us,’’ the standout center added.