There is no in-between for the Orlando Magic core.
There’s only two ways this could go:
The new Orlando Magic Front Office is either going to blow this whole thing up…
…or let the young core-guys prove themselves under new regime.
There is no in-between.
Elfrid Payton. Aaron Gordon. Mario Hezonja. Nikola Vucevic. Evan Fournier.
Say any of these names to the average basketball fan, and you might hear a murmur of a compliment for one name, Aaron Gordon. That recognition will somehow be related to how the people’s champ, #AirGordon🛫, got robbed in his first dunk contest. To a die-hard Magic fan, though, these names mean so much more. If there were ever a mark of the quote unquote “worst era in franchise history” left on this team, it lies in the potential of these five young players brought in by Henny. Shoutout to Terrence Ross for being the bigger man after unknowingly being snubbed from this list; although he has quickly won over the hearts of Magic fans city-wide, he’s only played in the blue and white pinstripes for 23 not-as-important games after the All-Star break when teams are likely to play young players and cash in games for lottery balls, rather than try to win. T-Flight has to be here a little longer to pull the same strings of the heart as the five core guys left on the team, even if Terrence did theoretically replace Victor Oladipo in the rotation; R.I.P. Orlandipo.
Now, with new upper management at the helm, Magic fans will have to be realistic. Depending on the outcome of the conversation between new President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman, returning Head Coach Frank Vogel, and incoming General Manager John Hammond, any or all of Henny’s core-five guys, fan favorites of The 6th Man, could become available.
For example, Nikola Vucevic is a dominant scoring big man in a league trending away from his skill-set, though regarded as a strong asset due to his bargain contract for a center of $12M/yr. As the first scoring option in Orlando this season, Evan Fournier showed out with shooting percentages and stats not to dissimilar from former Magic savior, Victor Oladipo, who was plauing off of weird opportunities as the second fiddle to the one man “MVP” show in OKC. Though Evan is a relatively sound investment on the Shooting Guard market at only $17M/yr, Oladipo’s potential to put up relatively the same offensive stats while posing an All-Defensive team level threat on the other end might be worth ponying up the extra $3M/yr. Even moreso if Ola keeps fans happy through bleak times…
Neither Vucevic or Fournier have shown signs of potential development into a true franchise cornerstone at their position. They are both solid, young assets for the front office to consider between packaging for a better overall player or holding onto to continue developing team chemistry; Terrence Ross lies in this same debate. Terrence is a fine asset in his own right at $10M/yr, but has yet to show real signs of all-star potential. None of these three on their own will fetch more than another team’s starter in the trade market, but package them together or with some of Orlando’s late picks on draft night and maybe the sleek new Magic Front Office sneaks back up into the Lottery for a second stud; perhaps Prez Weltman and GM Hammond find themselves in a conversation for a superstar who sprouts up in the trade market around the league. What-ifs are glorious; who’s finally ready to roll the dice on Boogie?
Aaron, Mario, and Elfrid are slightly more tantalizing as assets; each of these prospects are only of the age of 21, 22, and 23 respectively. #PaperMario💸’s only just completed the second year of his career under his second Head Coach after test-running minutes at point, the 2, the 3, and power-forward, hashtag position-less basketball. Now, he’s dealing with his second General Manager and first President of Basketball Operations. Elfrid continues to show up for a triple-double flirtation every couple of games and has shown slight progress in his shot. I wouldn’t say defenders are respecting his shot yet, but I’m cringing less and less every time #TheFloptop💂🏾 winds one back for a wide open three.
At the end of this past season, Aaron Gordon finally showed a sneak peak of his potential as a franchise player. Albeit in his first opportunity to play at his natural position of power-forward, Aaron actually put up similar numbers to Blake Griffin in his third year! No, really, I’m serious. In the 23 games after the All-Star break of their third season in the league, Gordon’s only sample size as the full-time 4, Aaron’s numbers are at least comparable to Blake’s. Check the difference in PPG and ORtg/Drtg in less minutes, usage, and two years less of age, especially as Aaron got used to the position with more regular reps in March and April to end the season.
Look, all I said was Aaron’s small sample size showed comparable stats to Blake’s stats. No one claimed Aaron Gordon as the next Blake Griffin! He just plays the part so perfectly, especially in the fast break. Let’s see what Aaron can pull off this season with thirty-plus minutes per game in the right position.
Weltman and Hammond will reveal the fate of these young guns before training camp. The new front office execs must evaluate building around the loveable, gangly, cash-money Croatian whose shown more confidence and court-vision than actual ball-handling in two years and a floptoppy point guard who still can’t really shoot the long-ball in 2017. Jeff and John have about a month until the draft and just a bit longer to finalize things before training camp; only the two J’s can decide if Aaron Gordon or any other core guy from Henny’s youth project is a building block for a championship roster or just a sexy asset to play around with in the trade machine; there is no in-between.
