By John DentonDec. 26, 2014
ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic sought a single-team affiliation with an NBA Developmental Team for situations just like this – so that when they had a young player in need of playing time, they could send him to a team that would honor their wishes for how that player would be used.
Orlando’s ``hybrid affiliation’’ with the Erie BayHawks gave the Magic great comfort when they assigned guard Devin Marble to the NBA D-League team on Friday. The rookie guard had appeared in just one game since Nov. 7, so the Magic wanted to utilize their relationship with the BayHawks and give Marble the playing that he needed for his development.
``It’s a great opportunity for him to get some in-game playing in. That’s what he’s missed since his injury,’’ Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said of Marble, who sprained the rotator cuff in his right shoulder on Nov. 7. ``Prior to his injury he had practiced well and had been playing well. This will give him the opportunity to get on the floor, get into some live competition and see what he needs to work on with his game.’’
Marble, a second-round draft pick out of Iowa, appeared in five games with the Magic, averaging 0.8 points. In the Nov. 7 game against Minnesota, Marble was put into the game in the final seconds and he played a role in a big steal that allowed the Magic to tie the game and eventually win it in overtime. He also injured his shoulder in that game and hasn’t played much of late.
Bayhawks coach Bill Peterson, a longtime assistant in the NBA, was with the Magic throughout training camp and the preseason. He formed a bond with Vaughn and the two talked about the style of play that Vaughn wanted players to be in if sent to the D-League. Vaughn knows that Marble will get the kind of instruction he wants under the highly respected Peterson.
``The communication with our staff and the Erie staff of what we want to get accomplished is there,’’ Vaughn said. ``I’m glad we have the BayHawks to use them in opportunities like this where we have a young guy who can work on his game throughout the year.’’
Vaughn said there is no set timetable on when Marble will be recalled to the Magic, but he did point out that part of the reason for the assignment now is because Erie is home for a three-game home stand against Bakersfield (Saturday), Texas (Monday) and Bakersfield (Tuesday). That stretch will allow Marble to spend the majority of his time with the Bayhawks playing in games and practicing rather than traveling.
K.O.’S RANGE: Whether he was in Orlando, New York or Las Vegas last summer, Magic power forward Kyle O’Quinn practically lived in the gymnasium while working to dramatically grow his offensive game.
Nowhere can that growth be seen more than with O’Quinn’s 3-point shooting, a facet of his game that he worked hard to add over the summer.
O’Quinn came into this season having never made a 3-pointer and having taken just four of them – most them coming as desperation heaves at the end of quarters or the end of shot clocks.
Already a solid shooter from the mid-range distance, O’Quinn got the blessing from Vaughn to spend the summer working to improve his range to the 3-point line. As a result of all that work, O’Quinn entered Friday night’s game having made six of 15 3-point shots in 16 games.
``I just had to take a couple of shots back. It’s the same shot,’’ joked O’Quinn with a big smile. ``It’s a lot of works and reps and getting comfortable. I just came back and asked the coaches if I could shoot it through reps and showing that I had been working on it. There’s a lot of trust that they have in me and thanks to them for letting me shoot it.’’
O’Quinn has made three of four 3-point attempts from the right corner and he’s made three of 11 tries above the break in the arc. On shots from 20-24 feet, O’Quinn had drilled seven of 10 (70 percent) and three of those makes were corner threes.
``As he continues to get better at it – it’s not something that we want him to look to do every single trip – but he has the ability to stretch the floor,’’ Vaughn said of O’Quinn, who is averaging career highs in scoring (9.2 ppg.) and rebounding (5.5 rpg.). And we want to give him that opportunity because it does put us in a better position to attack the basket.’’
Asked if O’Quinn needed to make a certain percentage of his 3-point shots to draw the defense to guard him, Vaughn said: ``It’s perception. If they think he can make it, that’s good enough.’’
COMEBACK KIDS: The Magic will be in Charlotte on Saturday night to face the Hornets. It is the Magic’s first time back there since Nov. 21 when they wiped out a 23-point deficit and won 105-100.
That rally tied for the third-largest in team history for the Magic. That night Orlando trailed by one at the end of the first quarter, by 11 at halftime and fell into the huge hole with a bad start to the third period.
However, the Magic got within 15 points of the lead by the end of the third quarter and then outscored the Hornets 41-21 in the fourth quarter. Veteran guard Willie Green scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter, the final of them a put-back of an Elfrid Payton free throw miss to give the Magic a lead that they would not relinquish in one of their most thrilling victories of the season.
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