2021-2022 General Game Thread

[Jay Magic 1,233]

37 minutes ago, All Eyes On Me said:

I’m gonna try something to help me get through the season. I’m going to say one optimistic thing about every game. Tonight’s thing:

Franz looks like he’s gonna be an NBA player

Franz is gonna be extremely good

[All Eyes On Me 1,196]

39 minutes ago, All Eyes On Me said:

I’m gonna try something to help me get through the season. I’m going to say one optimistic thing about every game. Tonight’s thing:

Franz looks like he’s gonna be an NBA player

Oh and to make up for not doing it last game. Good thing from the loss to the Spurs:

it’s a good thing Steve Clifford quit, this team probably would’ve already killed him.

[All Eyes On Me 1,196]

Knicks shooting 43% from 3 against us, Spurs shot 42% from 3 against us the other night. Every shot seems wide open 

[All Eyes On Me 1,196]

Julius Randle is a *****

[Soul Bro 1,419]

Just stopping in to say two things:

1. I’m loving Franz 

2. Jalen and Cole need to learn to shoot

Night!

[Natesroom 197]

So literally at the game the air was hype in the third when we got it back to 16, then we subbed in our second squad and it went to 24 then back to 19

[Natesroom 197]

if anyone wants to watch the season introduction i uploaded it to youtube. I try to do one every year that i go.

 

[CTMagicUK 1,476]

Turned it off after Randle banked in that 3 midway through the 4th. 

Franz Wagner, a 20 year old rookie who a proportion of our fan base were calling a bust 2 weeks ago, was comfortably our best player. 

Opinion hasn't changed on RJ. He's probably our worst rotation player at the moment. No feel, no offense that isn't just charge to the rim, gets lost on defense a lot. 

Defense is dreadful. Looked good for a while in the 3rd when we went to a zone but then the Knicks took a timeout and came out and busted the zone and we stuck with it for a possession or two too long. 

Suggs passing flashed a lot more this game but his jumper looks rough and that pull up in transition when we were in the middle of a run that barely hit the rim was such a dumb shot. I'd have sat his ass down straight away for that. 

Bamba's 3 pointer is looking good but he hasn't been much of a deterrent around the rim which is basically his number 1 job. He's a shot blocker but he's not a rim protector, yet. 

WCJ is fine. He's probably like a lower tier starting big or a high end bench guy on a good team, his contract reflects that and he's not really the type of guy who can carry you on either end so it's hard to blame him much. 

Even just getting Okeke back could help this team no end. Less minutes for Brazdeikis and Mo Wagner, more minutes with WCJ at the 5, more shooting and passing. 

[Luke_FfS 247]

There were a time, not a long ago, in which Cole had a couple of buzzer beater and the forum has gone nuts... I remember some all-star calls! It's really easy to overreact.

 

We were prepared to lose with such a young group without three starters, but that doesn't mean we have to lose THAT WAY.  Good habits, good habits, good habits. What happened to them? Both defensive organization and smart offense aren't there at all. Really hope that Mosley is a lot better than that and it's just a rough start for a unexperienced group.

 

[hootie249 293]

    Cole, at the moment, looks like he can be Cam Payne in a few years if he turns it around. I said before the draft that if the Magic go into the year without a veteran point guard it's going to be a long year. Having a few veterans like Harris or Ross was never going to change that, they are not leaders or point guards. That said, the plan was always going to be about losing, so get ready. Right now too many of our vets are out. 

    Don't worry about Suggs, guys with his pedigree and mindset reach their potential more often then not. What scares me about our rebuild is in the new NBA even low level vets want to be on playoff teams. It used to be some non playoff teams could employ or trade for an older journeyman point guard. Now they all get bought out or overpaid by playoff teams. This team needs a leader until these guys grow up. I never thought Ross,Harris, or McW was that guy, nor did i think they would stick around past the trade deadline. That's why i wanted to get a Delon Wright or George Hill or even see if we could have overpaid someone like TJ McConnell to come here instead of going back to the Pacers....another team that missed the playoffs. Not stars, obviously, just guys who could have the ball in their hands allot who have been through the fire. I feel like this team is that Lakers team from mid decade. Good to great players but way too young to win and no leaders. Now look at all those Lakers players scattered around the league. Randle,Ball,Ingram,Russell,Nance jr,Clarkson. All good to great players that were just thrown together in a dysfunctional way. We are going to need structure.

    We are just gonna have to wait out the storm until Fultz and Isaac are back and playing heavy minutes. Even if they are perfectly healthy neither has a ton of experience yet. Fultz is the best passing guard on the team and Isaac is by far the best defensive big on the team. I don't see many wins until these guys are both back and have a month or two to shake off the rust.

     

 

[Soul Bro 1,419]

We need to give the ball to Suggs and let him run the point. His vision is so much better than Cole’s, and he’s a difference making defender already. I believe his jumper will come.

[hootie249 293]

35 minutes ago, Soul Bro said:

We need to give the ball to Suggs and let him run the point. His vision is so much better than Cole’s, and he’s a difference making defender already. I believe his jumper will come.

  I can live with this. It's not the optimum way i would do things. The kid is 20 years old after all. Having even a Dj Augustin coming in 20 minutes a game would have been better then throwing Suggs and Cole out there to get eaten alive by other teams guards who know they are just kids. It's one thing if we drafted these guys to come off the bench like Cole would have done last year if Kelle didn't get hurt. 

It just feels like Oladipo/Payton 2.0. I guess just like 2013 i'm ok with Suggs taking his lumps right now if he can stay healthy but i don't think this is the right way to do things. Should have had a better back up plan then McW, waiting for Fultz to come back.