Harris never played a minute alongside Davis, Orlando’s Opening Day starter at power forward who suffered a season-ending foot injury in January. Once Davis returns to health – he’s not a sure bet to be ready for the start of the season – he will certainly spend a good chunk of each game paired with Harris, who figures to be a big part of Orlando’s future.
I’m curious to see how Davis fares alongside Harris, who should take some of Davis’ touches. Reducing Davis’ role in the offense is likely a net positive – Orlando asked him to do far too much last season – and can free the former Celtic to crash the offensive glass or otherwise work to free himself off the ball as a cutter instead of trying to create on his own.
3. Which veterans will stay past the trade deadline? The Magic have not indicated that they are looking to move any of their veterans. But as a rebuilding team, it stands to reason that they might want to offload the likes of Afflalo, Davis and possibly even Nelson – entering his 10th season in Orlando – in February as contenders look to shore up their benches for playoff runs.
There are strong arguments for keeping the veterans, despite their salaries and ages. As the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings have demonstrated in recent years, rebuilding teams without strong locker room presences can fall into bad habits that stunt the growth of their younger core players. Davis and Nelson are co-captains who have the respect of their teammates, and while Afflalo isn’t officially a captain, he nonetheless has some leadership responsibilities.
Having said all that, Orlando owes the Afflalo/Davis/Nelson trio more than $53 million over the next three years, assuming that it guarantees the full amount of Nelson’s 2014-15 salary and that Afflalo picks up his player option for 2015-16. That’s a big cash outlay for a rebuilding team, and if moving at least one of the three can net Orlando a future asset, then Hennigan may just have to make that deal.
4. How will the Magic keep the floor spread? Among Orlando’s myriad offensive issues last season was its inability to keep opposing defenses from packing the paint. The Magic shot 32.9 percent from 3-point range, second-worst in the league, and ranked 18th in 3-pointers attempted. Because the Magic struggled to draw fouls as well, Orlando was deficient in the two best non-dunk ways to score.
The offseason additions of Oladipo, Price and Maxiell won’t make them a better shooting team, so the question of how they will keep defenses honest remains open. It is possible to excel in this league without terrific 3-point shooting – just ask the Memphis Grizzlies – but Davis and Nik Vučević aren’t Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
Oladipo could be a wild card in that his presence could relieve some pressure on Afflalo, a corner 3-point ace whose shot-creation responsibilities forced him to launch fewer corner threes than ever. Harkless has also shown promise as a corner marksman, and Harris was a 2-of-20 slump in April away from being a 37 percent long-range shooter.
If the Magic succeed in forcing defenses to spread out, they might be able to avoid another bottom-three finish in offensive efficiency.
5. Can Vaughn and Hennigan impose an identity on this team? We know that Hennigan and Vaughn value hard-working, team-first players. That much is obvious. What is less clear than its character, and arguably more important, is this team’s identity.
Does Vaughn want his team to play fast, slow or somewhere in the middle? Should it crash the offensive glass or punt that category to bolster their transition defense? Will they force pick-and-rolls to the side of the floor or toward the middle? By which methods will Orlando generate open shots for its roster of non-stars?
Perhaps it’s difficult to answer these questions because the team doesn’t have any stars; Cleveland looked rudderless until it struck lotto gold with Kyrie Irving, for example. But after one year with Hennigan and Vaughn in control, the Magic’s long-term identity is still in question. One hopes that the second year of the rebuild will bring that long-term plan into sharper focus.
Evan Dunlap founded Orlando Pinstriped Post, a proud member of the SB Nation network, in 2007 and serves as its managing editor. He lives in Central Florida. On Twitter, follow Evan at@BQRMagic and Orlando Pinstriped Post at @OPPMagicBlog.