Charlotte at Orlando
Time: 6 PM CT (NBA LP)
Spread: CHA -6
Total: 211.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
Orlando Notes:
It has been another season of woe and misery for the Orlando Magic, but the time is nigh for the team to experiment with its younger talent, and to see just what it may have brewing for the future. Paramount of those concerns, is seeing if youngsters Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac have good chemistry and can function as a tandem.
Thus far, the answer seems to be a resounding “Yes,” despite Orlando’s ongoing struggles and losses. The Magic have been pleased with the defensive presence of Isaac, a one-and-done rookie from Florida State. Gordon, also, has put together a great season for himself, a career year, and will be in line for a max-contract this summer as a restricted free agent. Meanwhile, No. 5 overall pick from 2015, Mario Hezonja, is unlikely to return after the Magic passed on extending him in the fall. That may be a foible on the part of team management, because Hezonja has shined in the second half of this season. He has shown a lot of versatility and the shooting touch that he was drafted for, but it will likely be another team that reaps the real harvest of the Croatian’s talents. The Magic have been mining for a major prospect for six seasons, and Gordon represents the closest thing Orlando has to a franchise player, so it will be wise to make sure and retain his rights as a RFA this offseason.
Even so, the puzzle is so far from complete in Orlando that it is difficult to ascertain exactly where Orlando may head with its draft pick in the 2018 draft. It could go after a major big man like Marvin Bagley or Mo Bamba, or it could continue to search for the answer at the 1-spot after parting with Elfrid Payton at the trade deadline.
The Magic have not had much go right this rebuild, but fans, management and coaches all know that the right pick in the 2018 draft could begin to right the ship in a major way. After all, the Magic reached the NBA Finals twice in team history, and both times the stars of those respective teams were Orlando’s own No. 1 overall picks— Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. So, while this season was a disaster for the 22-52 Magic, it is one with the silver lining that the difference maker may fall into its lap with great draft lottery odds this summer.
Charlotte Notes:
The Charlotte Hornets are seven games behind No. 8 seeded Miami, but the Hornets are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Charlotte is 34-43 this season and should close in on nearly 40 wins; however, it would be inaccurate to say the team has not disappointed. Many figured even an aged Dwight Howard would be enough to lift Charlotte one more notch into playoff contention, and it is hard to shift any of the blame for failing to do so onto Howard himself, necessarily. He has had a good season.
It is simply that Charlotte has been atrocious (13-25) on the road, and Kemba Walker is still being asked to do far too much offensively. The Hornets point differential is barely negative (-0.2), but the team consistently loses close games and loses its big leads. Of course, all sub.-.500 teams tend to share these same cardinal sins, so perhaps it is redundant to continue to explain why Charlotte is not winning at a greater clip.
Kentucky Wildcat product and rookie Malik Monk has been a nice boost off of the bench (as I figured he would be), but the Hornets are in need of another star alongside Walker. Monk likely is not destined to be a superstar, but likely just a “pretty good source of scoring and decent player,” to be trite.
Walker has done about all he can, reached his peak, and the Hornets are still a poor team. Perhaps the 2018 draft brings an offensive game changer to share the load with Walker, but if not, the Hornets will remain mediocre for some time to come.
