Who are these guys??

[30Assists 342]

[Edit - added E'Twaun Moore 8.29.12]

 

I love the NBA, despite the machinations of the evil overlord Stern, and I've been a fan of the Magic since its inaugural season for a reason that I can't quite explain. Still, I'm loyal to a fault and the Magic are my team, so here I am.

 

I do follow a few other teams, and will watch other games if they're on, but my interest in players not on the Magic roster are spotty at best. For the college game, I follow the (UW) Huskies because I work here, but I don't pay a whole lot of attention outside of the Final Four (yeah - I'm THAT kind of fan).

 

I like playing a lot more than I like watching, so I really only tune in when something meaningful to me is on. In other words, when the Magic are playing someone else. For that reason, while a couple of the names on the current roster are familiar, in passing, I have no idea who three-quarters of our roster are or what their capabilities are.

 

So here's my attempt to gather some information on the current roster into one place. Now I'm not nearly as well-informed on these guys as some people (Jareth, DOM, etc), so I figure that everyone can chime in below on the strengths and weaknesses of the various new (and old) pieces.

 

Finally, I somehow doubt we're going to go into the season with 500 PFs on the roster, so I'm guessing the below is not what we'll start the regular season with.

 

Because I play PG myself, I'm going to start there and work my way up the chart:

 

Jameer Nelson (PG)

"6'0*" *you know, if you consider 5'9 to be 6'0

190lbs

Years Pro: 8

(last year) PPG: 11.9, APG: 5.7, SPG: 0.7, RPG: 3.2

Outside of his one all-star season, Jameer isn't a player that fills the stat sheets. Reading the statline above is kind of cringe-worthy. What that stat-line doesn't show, however, is the intangibles.

 

Even before Dwight flew off the deep end and became the reigning "Queen of Drama" of the NBA, Jameer was the Magic's rock and, it could be argued, sole leader. This isn't anything new for Jameer, who filled the same role in college and won gobs of awards during his time at St Joseph's. While Dwight was busy throwing his teammates under the bus, Jameer was the one actually leading the team.

 

Jameer has a tendency to show up at big moments in big games, barring the injuries which have plagued his career.

 

E'Twaun Moore (PG/SG)

6'4

191lbs

Years Pro: 1

(last year) PPG: 2.9, APG: 0.9, SPG: 0.3, RPG: 0.9

(pic from xbox)

Out of Purdue, E'Twaun might be familiar among the gaming crowd for appearing on the EASports NCAA game box. From Swishscout (http://swishscout.com/?page_id=4921):

 

"Senior scoring guard who excels at creating off the dribble, knocking down 3’s, and finishing at the rim in transition situations. Limited only by physical limitations (strength, speed, size, athleticism) but has a mature game that will provide instant offense for an NBA team off the bench as a role player."

 

Ish Smith (PG)

6'0

175lbs

Years Pro: 2

(last year) PPG: 2.8, APG: 1.6, SPG: 0.6, RPG: 1.3

Ish hasn't played a lot in the NBA and is still pretty raw. Still, especially when playing for Houston, he had a few flashes of brilliance.

 

Coming out of Wake Forest, and then riding the pin for Houston, Memphis, and Golden State, I haven't seen much of Ish's play. What I have seen, he seems like a great pick-up player: very skilled and athletic, very instinctual, but not very structured. A lot of this might stem from the fact that Ish's few moments to shine have come during garbage time - hardly a good measure of a player's skill.

 

Still, it says something that at least four coaches took a pass at putting Ish in for significant minutes. Now the sole owner of the #2 PG slot, and entering his 3rd season, it's time for Ish to prove he belongs in the league.

 

On the upside, his per-48 has him scoring 14.9ppg and 8.5apg!

 

Jonathan Clay "JJ" Redick (SG)

6'4

190lbs

Years Pro: 6

(last year) PPG: 11.6, APG: 2.5, SPG: 0.4, RPG: 2.3

JJ, loved and hated for his impressive college career at Duke (having scored more points than Jordan), had a rough start in the NBA. Undersized for a 2, it took him a couple years to bulk up and get his shot back.

 

Indeed, JJ shoots nearly 42% from deep, and 91% from the line, near the top of the league in both categories, and 41% overall - it's safe to say his shot is back. But how JJ cracked the lineup was completely surprising to everyone: his defense on Ray Allen during the playoffs. It turned out not to be a fluke: while he doesn't get a lot of steals, the same talent that allows him to run through all those screens makes him hard to get around. Who knew?

 

While he'll never be a defensive stopper, the guy has been one of our better wing defenders. Still, JJ's undersized at 6'4 and will probably lose out on a starting position again to...

 

Arron Afflalo (SG)

(pic from telepixtv)

6'5

215lbs

Years Pro: 5

(last year) PPG: 15.2, APG: 2.4, SPG: 0.6, RPG: 3.2

Arron's game has been steadily ramping up since he came out of UCLA as an All-American. Afflalo is one of the players I don't know much about, so I'll just borrow liberally from the Denver Nuggets site (http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/denver-nuggets-scouting-report/).

 

The highlights: "He has developed a nice catch and shoot jumper and has become very good from the corners. There are times he tries to force his way to the rim and in those instances the result is typically a bad shot or turnover. He can pass on the move with accuracy and usually makes good decisions on who to pass to.

 

"Afflalo is not a lock down defender, but he works hard and knows what he is doing. As on offense he is a solid defensive rebounder with the ability to track the ball and the aggressiveness to get it."

 

Hedo Türkoğlu (SF)

6'10

220lbs

Years Pro: 12

(last year) PPG: 10.9, APG: 4.4, SPG: 0.8, RPG: 3.8

With the height of a PF, Hedo's ball-handling skills (or at least his passing) has landed him in more of a "point-forward" role during his career. While a far cry from the Scottie Pippens of the world, Hedo is really tall and is a good passer, meaning he was ideal to be teamed with Dwight Howard and feeding the big-man in the post. With the Magic obviously moving on from the "feed the pig" style of play, Hedo's role will likely change too, most likely with him coming off the bench.

 

Hedo's on the backside of his career, no question, and while never a "fast" player, Hedo's become downright glacial in the last couple seasons. Still, Hedo is a veteran and one of the few on the team, and is still respectable from long range (35%....oh, um...). Did I mention he's tall?

 

Moe Harkless (SF)

(pic from draftexpress)

6'8

210lbs

Years Pro: 0

(last year) PPG: -, APG: -, SPG: -, RPG: -

A rookie, the scouting information I have sounds like a SF. If he's everything he's supposed to be, he might take over the starting role from Hedo.

 

Combined with the fact I wasn't paying attention to NCAA ball last season, I know next to nothing about Harkless, so here's a scouting report on him (http://nbadraftroom2.blogspot.com/2012/03/moe-harkless-scouting-report.html):

 

"Very quick, athletic player with great leaping ability and body control. Handles the ball very well for a young player and plays with good court vision and awareness. Very good rebounder on both ends of the court and plays solid D in the post.

 

"Not yet a good three point shooter and needs to improve his free throw shooting (less than 70%). Turns the ball over too often and needs to learn to make the smart pass/play."

 

Quentin Richardson (SF)

6'6

228lbs

Years Pro: 12

(last year) PPG: 4.5, APG: 0.8, SPG: 0.6, RPG: 2.6

Another of the long-time veterans of the Magic, QRich has played for the Magic for the last couple seasons. A respectable defender, QRich plays hard despite being a little undersized for a 3. While not known for being an incredible scorer, QRich can get hot, especially from the 3-point line, and set the Suns' single season record for 3-pointers made (226).

 

He's never matched that kind of production for the Magic, but at this point in his career, he's never been asked to. Give QRich a lot of credit for never complaining about his role as a bench player and spending most of his time glued to the pine thanks to SVG's "rotation." Now at 32, QRich is expected to play hard for the minutes he's given, play good defense, score a few points, get a few rebounds, and not make big mistakes. He does that pretty well.

 

Christian Eyenga (SF)

(pic from waitingfornextyear)

6'7

210lbs

Years Pro: 2

(last year) PPG: 2.4, APG: 0.7, SPG: 0.4, RPG: 2.0

Another player I know next to nothing about, Eyenga came out of the Congo and landed on the Cavs - not sure which is a worse fate. Glancing over various scouting reports, I came on this gem (http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2009/07/nba-summer-league-first-review-of-cavs-christian-eyenga/):

 

"Seated near me is a prominent unofficial member of the extended Nike fam, and he spends pretty much the entire game talking sh*t on Eyenga — though, granted, some of it is deserved. The quick scouting report: Dude is very athletic and entirely raw as a basketball prospect. He follows a wet three-pointer with back-to-back airballs. He alternates made dunks with failed dunks on a pretty even basis. He attempts no offense in between.

 

If he gets the sh*t coached out of him the next few years (most likely back in Europe) he might be a player someday. That said, it was maybe harsh, in the middle of the game, to ask loudly, 'Is this the first time he’s played on a wood court?'"

 

....huh. Well....he's 6'7 and "athletic!" Probably won't make the cut unless he really wows during summer league and preseason.

 

Glen "Huge Beast Man" Davis (PF) (okay, fine: "Big Baby")

6'9

289lbs

Years Pro: 5

(last year) PPG: 9.3, APG: 0.8, BPG: 0.3, RPG: 5.4

Backing up Dwight Howard in a limited rotation, Davis (who really needs a better nick-name) turned a couple heads during the Magic's brief playoff run last season, averaging 19ppg and 9.2rpg. While it's unlikely Glen could sustain that pace through an entire season, doing so against a defensive-minded, big Indiana team was still impressive.

 

Davis, more than his abilities, is known for playing with gobs of heart. While he gets made fun of for the following sequence:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K3PIgX8c3g

 

You tell me one other player in the league that would have tried to get up from a concussion and get back in the play. You can't coach that. I don't care what his contract looks like: that's the kind of player I want on my team.

 

Al Harrington (PF)

(pic from NY Post)

6'9

250lbs

Years Pro: 14

(last year) PPG: 14.2, APG: 1.4, BPG: 0.2, RPG: 6.1

Early in his career, Harrington was known and used as a defensive stopper by Indiana. As he's matured, he's become a better scorer, but has retained his skills as a team defender (although not the shut-down defender he once was). He's not a great rebounder, and not exactly lightning quick, but come on: the guy's a 14-year pro - what do you expect?

 

In Harrington, the Magic get a seasoned vet who plays good team defense, can score consistently, and can get enough rebounds to keep his man honest. And, occasionally, Harrington will inexplicably blow up offensively, so there's that.

 

Justin Harper (PF)

6'10

225lbs

Years Pro: 1

(last year) PPG: 1.4, APG: 0.1, BPG: 0.2, RPG: 0.9

Like Ish Smith (above), Harper never really cracked SVG's 6-man rotation, only getting to play 84 minutes. In the ENTIRE season. There's probably reasons for that, but on what will likely be a very young team, Harper will probably see a little more burn this year (or not, considering the Magic are seemingly trying to field the first "All Power Forward Team" in history).

 

Because we've seen so little of Harper, we kind of have to turn back to scouting reports on him to see what people saw of him coming out of Richmond (http://swishscout.com/?page_id=4673).

 

"Finesse forward with a good basketball IQ and a money shooter from the midrange and NBA 3-point territory. Harper is ‘soft’ and doesn’t have much of a post game, making him more of a tweener forward and odd matchup on defense, but he’s weapon on the perimeter who can spread the floor."

 

Josh McRoberts (PF/C)

(pic from NY Times)

6'10

240lbs

Years Pro: 5

(last year) PPG: 2.8, APG: 1.0, BPG: 0.4, RPG: 3.4

"McBob's" more likely to be a backup center, but can also (and likely will) play the PF position in what will be a revolving door of playing each of our 48 PFs one minute a game in a tight rotation. Obviously with Bynum having a unique healthy season, McBob didn't get off the bench much last season. As a well-known Laker-hater, I know next to nothing about him. So to the scouting report (http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Josh-McRoberts-14162#scouting_report)!

 

"A strong rebounder and outlet passer, McRoberts also has power and skill. An above average athlete, he is efficient and can make big plays. McRoberts can finish with either hand in the post and has impressive up-and-under moves."

 

That seems a bit rosy, but from the sounds of it, McBob is a good prospect with fair big-man skills and better than average passing and court vision. In short? Along with our paltry picks we got in the trade, he's probably trade bait.

 

Andrew Nicholson (PF.../C?? REALLY??)

(pic from hoopsworld)

6'9

250lbs

Years Pro: 0

(last year) PPG: -, APG: -, BPG: -, RPG: -

Another rookie, Nicholson comes out of St. Bonaventure and has rave reviews about his offensive abilities. Scouts really liked him and he seems like a great pick-up for us:

 

"I don't think people realize how skilled he really is," one GM said. "I keep hearing my scouts say he's kind of like David West. Well, if he is David West, he should be 15 spots higher on our board. The more I've watched him on film, the more I think we may be missing on him. Skilled power forwards like West are hard to come by."

 

Still, I know jack about him. The scouting reports I'm reading rave about his footwork, his ability to finish with either hand, and the fact that he's a good shot-blocker to boot.

 

Kyle O'Quinn (PF/C)

(pic from sbnation)

6'10

224lbs

Years Pro: 0

(last year) PPG: -, APG: -, BPG: -, RPG: -

Yet another rookie on our young roster, Kyle's another guy who can play either PF or C, but will probably end up playing C in our system, given the log-jam at PF (for now). He comes out of Norfolk State annnnnnd....that's about all I know about him. To the scouting reports!!

 

"O’Quinn has the NBA body, defensive play and post up game to make it, but needs to shore up his basketball IQ, high foul rate and post moves to help his odds of sticking with a team." (http://swishscout.com/?page_id=9419)

 

"The consensus on O'Quinn is that the potential that exists in his massive 76-inch wingspan and physical style of play outweighs his low basketball I.Q. and inconsistent motor.

 

"O'Quinn is one of the most mature players coming out of the draft, and he also happens to have one of the most NBA-ready frames. With the veteran leadership and coaching, he can be one of the steals of this year's draft."

 

Nikola Vucevic ©

(pic from Wikipedia)

7'0

240lbs

Years Pro: 1

(last year) PPG: 5.5, APG: 0.6, BPG: 0.7, RPG: 4.8

Barring Davis taking over the 5 spot, which is unlikely, Nikola Vucevic is likely to be our starting center. Annnnnd that's the extent of my knowledge about him.

 

Scouts say:

 

"His size has made him a good college rebounder, but I dont see that as a big strength in the NBA. He cant rebound much outside of his area and his hands are a little shaky. Not much of an athlete either, I can see him being a average rebounder and defender but not much more.

 

"His real strength is on offense, where he can work in the post and float out and shoot a jumper. He's a natural in the post, showing great footwork and moves. He makes it look easy. He has good strength and constantly battles for post position down low. Tough and competitive. He sees a lot of double teams and has proven to be a good passer out of them."

 

Gustavo Ayon (PF/C)

(pic from NBA.com)

6'10

250lbs

Years Pro: 1

(last year) PPG: 5.9, APG: 1.4, BPG: 0.8, RPG: 4.9

Gustavo comes out of Mexico and at 27, he's a bit older than most one-year players. He's yet another tweener that can play the 4 or the 5, and has been playing center for Mexico for the last few years. Like most European-style players, he has a more developed offensive game, and a less-developed (NBA-style, at least) defensive game.

 

Here's what the scouts say:

 

"His game is better suited for the deep post...Ayon’s strengths are his extremely soft touch, deceptive quickness for his body, and agile foot movement.

 

"He makes his hay below the rim and his skill set is tailored more for the offensive end of the court. Gustavo’s got some of the best footwork in Spain and when he gets the rock, he’s got a plan. Gustavo has already sized you up defensively before he catches the entry pass and knows exactly the move he’s about to pull on you."

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,033]

Didn't read (yet) but still gave you the +1 for the effort.

[Joseph_Kuhr 61]

Kyle looks like he's going to drop someone lol

[30Assists 342]

Didn't read (yet) but still gave you the +1 for the effort.

And I'm hoping some people can fill in the gaps on some of these guys, especially the rookies.

[30Assists 342]

Kyle looks like he's going to drop someone lol

You should have seen what I had to plow through for that McBob picture...

[DuhonsEmptyLiquorBottle 97]

Thanks for all the information!

[TrueBlueMagic 0]

Thank you I enjoyed reading, and I did really read it all. Gave me some insight to some of the players we now have on our team. Its good to know the weaknesses and strengths and to see how they will develop over the next couple years if given the chance.

[DanA_TBDP 12]

Afflalo isn't a lockdown defender? I've always been lead to believe he was although I've personally never been a huge fan of his.

 

And Vucevic sounds like a clone of Brook Lopez except with a post game and some toughness and a reasonable contract.

 

Very good read.

[Nyce_1 311]

i'm hoping Eyenga can get the "sh*t" coached out of him with Vaughn and the rest of our staff.

[30Assists 342]

Afflalo isn't a lockdown defender? I've always been lead to believe he was although I've personally never been a huge fan of his.

 

And Vucevic sounds like a clone of Brook Lopez except with a post game and some toughness and a reasonable contract.

 

Very good read.

 

Yeah - no idea on Afflalo: I've never seen him play. Brook Lopez with a reasonable contract (and no broken feet) is fine by me.

 

i'm hoping Eyenga can get the "sh*t" coached out of him with Vaughn and the rest of our staff.

 

Right??

[NittanyBuc 757]

Good read, agreed with what you said about the guys I have a little knowledge of.

 

I think McRoberts will be our second over-glorified white guy. He's a pretty tough dude and athletic... But more importantly, he's white and Magic fans seem to love white guys.

[Miller4Prez66 545]

Good read, agreed with what you said about the guys I have a little knowledge of.

 

I think McRoberts will be our second over-glorified white guy. He's a pretty tough dude and athletic... But more importantly, he's white and Magic fans seem to love white guys.

 

Whatever you say, Skip Bayless.