MAGIC 24/7

#MakeItMagic

[keyhoops @keybarhoops]

Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat Preseason Thread 🧵

[Orlando Magic Daily @OMagicDaily]

In one week, #Magic basketball returns.

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 Franz’s footwork and touch was clearly there as a rookie + his FT% was always good

he was also an excellent finisher at the rim on day one in the NBA

those are all very much still areas of improvement for AB heading into year 3

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 I hope you’re right, but his on-ball shooting and touch outside the restricted area has to dramatically improve pretty soon to have that type of role on a playoff bound team

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 the players on that list would have much better comp numbers if we took out their worst half of the season

imo without a significant offseason developmental jump it’s very likely AB’s on-ball role and shot opportunities will drop substantially in this new Magic context

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@Rayshard07 @MalikG Moritz isn't better than Goga in a starting context, or on a roster that doesn't need their bench C to carry that unit's offense.

On a team with WCJr and JI, that matters a LOT.

Look at what happens to the Magic's Net RTG when JI isn't there to protect Moritz on defense:

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 a while ago, Hennigan publicly admitted he knew Giannis was the best player in the Oladipo draft but that he didn't have the guts to make the pick

his insistence on Payton created much of the problems that eventually ruined that rebuild...+ too slow to realize importance of 3PT

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

interesting stat based look at how Weltman and other NBA GM's performed in the draft from 2010 to 2020

[CraftedNBA @craftedNBA]

Full breakdown includes:
• GM rankings with letter grades
• Every pick ranked by SurplusPM
• Complete draft histories
• Performance distribution analysis

Check it out: https://t.co/ssAdwiyi7t

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 Crafted actually consolidates many advanced metrics like bpm, lebron, darko, rapm, etc, into one stat.

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 AB is fine, but he needs to take a substantial jump this yr. Last season he was a lot closer to being a Mattise Thybule type than he was to being a starting level guard.

Jett is on the brink of being a bust - do or die season for him.

TdS/Penda/Jase are all still a mystery

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 If Suggs didn't fall to him, would he have taken Franz at 5 with Scottie Barnes and Kuminga on the board? I doubt it. IMO the draft made both choices for him.

Paolo was #1 pick and he was the best player for most of the well respected Big Boards (not mock drafts).

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 Paolo hasn't measured out well in many advanced metrics...doesn't mean he wasn't a good pick or isn't best player in that draft...it also doesn't mean those stats are not trustworthy

stats need the eye test to have context AND the eye test needs to be contextualized with stats

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@MarioSnchez92 it's based on 2010 to 2020

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@craftedNBA Jeff Weltman started with the Magic in 2017, not 2018.

In his first draft, he had two 1st Rd Picks picks and two 2nd Rd Picks. He took Jonathan Isaac (6) and Wes Iwundu (33), and traded away picks 25 and 35

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@IafornaroSean just saw this analytics based GM draft study (for 2010-2020) over at craftedNBA...thought it was relevant to what we were talking about

Weltman got an F, and they didn't even count JI because of injuries - even though it's common knowledge super skinny 7'ers come w/health🚩

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@IafornaroSean problem is Weltman is ~25% on draft picks and free agency

he was saved by lottery luck and gifted a pass by a notoriously bad CHI front office

I like the Bane signing, but he's a near max player that is injured a lot

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@IafornaroSean you make that sound like it's a good thing

teams like ORL can't afford to completely waste that type of valuable asset (11th pick) - especially at this stage

that should be a cost controlled rotation level player, not expiring $ with no trade value due to being pending UFA

[MAGIC 24/7 @zerojuantwo3]

@IafornaroSean @MiladHeat Knecht played 1500 minutes as a rookie...and performed well offensively - he wasn't good on defense, but most rookies aren't

In 2 years, Jett's played half that (768) and looked bad even vs garbage time units.