The Orlando Magic finished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference again in the 2014-15 season, but they're looking to climb into playoff contention next season. Here are their top storylines to watch this offseason:
1) Is Scott Skiles the right man for the job?
Skiles has had his ups and downs during his various coaching stops, currently sporting a 443-431 overall record. Dismissed by the Milwaukee Bucks in the middle of the 2012-13 season at the end of his last stint on the bench, Skiles is grateful for the opportunity in front of him.
“When you’re an NBA coach, there are only 30 jobs,” Skiles said. “They’re open often, unfortunately for the coaches, but people tend to have certain guys they look at or certain styles they look at, and that eliminates certain guys. This happened to be the right place at the right time for me.”
Skiles is tasked with turning this young, experienced team into winners - though it remains to be seen if he can.
2) Who will they add in the draft?
Orlando’s offense has been lacking a shooting threat, and several mock drafts have the Magic filling that need by drafting Croatian sharpshooter Mario Hezonja.
SB Nation NBA scribe Kevin O’Connor says Orlando should use its pick on Mario Hezonja, an offensively minded Croatian swingman. “The Croatian’s style of play can sometimes be mistaken for selfishness, but he’s really just that great offensively,” says O’Connor.
“Overseas he has showcased perfect mechanics on his jumper and the ability to drive to the cup and dunk over anyone.”In the three years since starting their rebuild, the Magic have yet to put together a coherent, consistent offense, so adding Hezonja’s scoring would seem to make a great deal of sense. Then again, Orlando’s struggles defensively make it more than reasonable to suppose it’ll select a player more renowned for his work at that end of the floor.
DraftExpress agrees with O’Connor; it also has Orlando making Hezonja its pick. Its justification for the pick is similar to O’Connor’s.
“The Magic have gone with defensive oriented players with their last three lottery picks, but Hezonja would give them a huge shot in the arm offensively,” writes DraftExpress, “particularly from the perimeter, where they sorely need to add outside shooting to help their floor spacing.”
In 14.5 minutes per game for FC Barcelona, Hezonja posted averages of 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and shot 39.2 percent on three-pointers.
However, the Magic are said to also be interested in another international player in seven-footer Kristaps Porzingis, who would’ve been a first-round pick in last years’ class if he had declared.
ESPN’s Chad Ford thinks the 19-year-old “has a chance to be the best player on the team.” While he will need time to adjust to the NBA game, he averaged 10.8 points in just 21.3 minutes per game playing in Spain’s Liga ACB and has a lot of potential.
3) Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon, and Victory Oladipo's progression
Orlando's future is dependent on these three taking the next step this season. Oladipo has shown promise in his two years in the league, but Orlando needs him to elevate his game to All-Star status to take them back to the postseason. Payton looks like he can be a quality point guard, but needs to improve his outside shooting, while Gordon needs to add skill around his athleticism. If all three guys continue to improve, the Magic will be a force to be reckoned with in the East.
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