By Josh Cohen
Feb. 12, 2018
Mario Hezonja
You can see the confidence in his eyes every time he comes down the floor. Hezonja believes in himself and trusts that all the hard work he’s put in since joining the Magic in 2015 will pay off. On Wednesday against the Hornets – similar to what we’ve seen from him the past few weeks – Hezonja delivered a terrific performance with 21 points and 10 rebounds. He’s thriving at power forward because of his athleticism, agility and range, and he’s making progress on defense.
D.J. Augustin
The NBA today essentially requires point guards to be a threat from 3-point range. Point guards who struggle from the outside have far less value than those who can catch fire in an instant. Augustin is an example of someone who fits in the modern game. He’s an above average 3-point shooter, and he’s aggressive when he attacks the basket. Making his fourth straight start since the Elfrid Payton trade, Augustin had it cooking from the perimeter, knocking down four threes. He finished with 16 points.
Marreese Speights
The Magic’s reserves have played well the last several weeks. The most consistent of the bunch has been Speights, who, like Augustin, drilled four 3-pointers and scored 16 points. Speights transformed into a dependable 3-point shooter last year while with the Clippers. He’s taken advantage of his deep range even more this season, already burying 80 triples. He made 103 from downtown all of last year.