The Orlando Magic hired Scott Skiles this offseason to oversee the next phase in their rise since dealing with the disastrous departure of Dwight Howard in 2012. So far, a team aiming at making the playoffs has been hovering below the .500 line, and seems that it’s about to make a change.
Their main lineup, with Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo in the backcourt, Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier as forwards and Nikola Vucevic at center hasn’t been working. The 6-8 team, 5th in the Southeast division so far, is only 24th in offensive efficiency, while their defense has improved, yet they’re on a -2.0 in the net rating per 100 possessions.
Skiles is most likely going to break up the Harris-Fournier tandem. Fournier has been doing very well, averaging 18.8 points per game while Harris, signing a big extension this offseason ,is at 14.5 points per game with 7.9 rebounds a night. He’s not the only one disappointing, but the Magic might need to shake things up, which includes providing the bench with a more reliable scorer.
It’s time to change the lineup. That’s pretty much the reality we’re going to have to face here in the next 48 hours before we play again. That lineup, there’s just been too much of this, and we’ve got to see if we can find something else that works. Pretty much everything is in consideration
Aaron Gordon has looked better in his second season with 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in just 20 minutes a night, which might mean he deserves a bump to the lineup. Mario Hezonja seems less of a candidate to enter the starting five, with the fifth overall pick seeming a bit overwhelmed by the NBA so far, averaging 4.6 points in 14.5 minutes per game, shooting just 37.1% from the field.