The Orlando Magic are starting to figure out their roster and rotation as training camp quickly turns into the preseason. Here are five battles to watch.
The Orlando Magic will open their preseason Saturday at the Amway Center against the Charlotte Hornets. They will have an open practice for fans at Amway Center on Monday, Oct. 5 (tickets can be printed for free here).
The team has completed five practices and will have Thursday off. An “earned” day off, Scott Skiles said.
Things have begun to develop. The hope is that there has been some type of separation and Skiles and his staff can begin sorting out rotations and pecking order for the team.
Like any training camp, things will have to get sorted out before the first game. And there are several battle we are watching before the games start. These are all in their initial stages, and so it is just time to watch. Definitely not time to make any decisions.
Here are five training camp battles to watch:
1) Aaron Gordon vs. Channing Frye for Starting Power Forward
Aaron Gordon is out right now thanks to that fractured jaw in July. He said he should be able to hit the ground running once he is cleared for contact as he has been able to participate in all drills but scrimmages and contact drills.
The question is whether Gordon is ready for the responsibility of being in the starting lineup.
His Summer League was a strong one. It brought a lot of hope and optimism about his development and his readiness to play this season. He was decent in his limited time in Summer League, but certainly behind the 8-ball thanks to his mid-season injury and his youth.
The talent is undeniably there. The question is whether he has gained the seasoning to be the guy at power forward for the Magic and fill that gap in the lineup.
The jury is out on that.
2) Evan Fournier v. Mario Hezonja for Sixth Man
Brett Roberts of Orlando Magic Daily took a deeper look at this training camp battle between the Magic’s sixth man from last year and the fifth overall pick:
Skiles will want to win this season, and he is going to play the guys that are most ready.
Our guess? Fournier starts the season seeing more minutes than Hezonja, but eventually Skiles turns to using Hezonja more behind Oladipo at the 2, while also giving him the majority of the minutes backing up Harris at the 3.
And that is another real caveat for Hezonja in this argument: He is easily capable (most seem to think) of playing the 2 and the 3 spots, whereas Fournier may not have the same gifts defensively against bigger small forwards.
Fournier is getting off to a bit of a false start thanks to his ankle injury suffered at the very end of Eurobasket. He was not able to play with his teammates during pre-camp workouts or pick-up sessions and he has missed camp to this point.
Hezonja is a rookie — a well of untapped potential. Both players will have their moments where they go on scoring binges. That will make them very dangerous players when the season begins. And they will likely interchange primary scoring roles off the bench.
For the Magic to be successful, they will need one of these young players to realize their potential and fill this important role for the team.
3) Jason Smith or Channing Frye?
OK, so if Channing Frye does not make the starting lineup, does he even make the rotation?
The Magic spent big money on Channing Frye last summer and saw the experiment fall flat thanks to Frye’s early-season knee injury and his lack of defensive presence. He and Nikola Vucevic did not work out together and the Magic were much more invested in Vucevic.
This summer, Orlando spent a one-year, $4.5 million deal on Jason Smith. He is another shooting power forward. He does not have 3-point range like Frye and will not attract defenses the way Frye does, but he is slightly better on the defensive front.
The two will undoubtedly be splitting minutes in the second unit at power forward.
4) Melvin Ejim or Devyn Marble?
Nearing the end of the bench, Melvin Ejim and Devyn Marble are in an interesting battle for one of the final roster spots. Both play small forward and provide different sets of skills. Both are defensive minded.
Ejim impressed throughout the summer from his Summer League appearance to his work with Team Canada. He even outplayed Andrew Nicholson on several occasions. It was clear if the Magic did not snatch this guy up, someone else would.
Marble is a little bit more of a known commodity. He was a solid defender for the Magic last year and provided good energy in his few starts and playing time. His offense still needs some work.
It is possible both make the team, but with both players on non-guaranteed deals, it seems possible only one will get a roster spot.
5) Who else makes the roster — Keith Appling, Jordan Sibert, Nnanna Egwu?
Most of these guys are heading to Erie to spend the year in the D-League. Perhaps only one will make the Magic roster. Perhaps all will be in Erie. That seems the most likely scenario.
Sean Guest of Orlando Magic Daily broke down the battle at the end of the bench. It is something small and may not matter much in the end.
But as the Magic have learned, anyone can play their way into the roster. Look at DeQuan Jones three years ago. And merit ultimately wins.
