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Magic's Maurice Harkless, Andrew Nicholson don't make All-Rookie teams

2013-05-14T18:47:25Z

The NBA's head coaches didn't select any of the Orlando Magic's five rookies to either of the All-Rookie teams, but Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson did receive some votes for the yearly honor, according to the balloting results, which returns the NBA released Tuesday. Harkless appeared on 13 of the 29 ballots, with one first-team vote, while Nicholson earned four second-team votes.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, also the league's Rookie of the Year, headlines the first team; he was the only player to receive 29 first-team votes. Joining him on the first team are Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal, New Orleans Hornets big man Anthony Davis, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters.

More NBA awards coverage: SB Nation

The second team is Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, Charlotte Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Pistons swingman Kyle Singler, Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valančiūnas, and Cavs center Tyler Zeller.

Had Harkless received one more second-team vote, he would have made the second team, as he fell one point behind Zeller. Nicholson placed behind Harkless, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Alexey Shved, New York Knicks forward Chris Copeland, and Hornets point guard Brian Roberts.

Harkless and Nicholson are two of the 23 players who received All-Rookie votes.

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NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Otto Porter

2013-05-13T12:00:10Z

There's been a lot of buzz here at OPP and other platforms across in the internet about Otto Porter, Georgetown's versatile swingman.

When he arrived at Georgetown he was heralded as a hard-working, smart player with a willingness to defend. In his freshman year he showcased those attributes as a versatile offensive player inside the three-point arc. What he lacked was a consistent three-point shot that would create spacing in the Hoyas' offense that consists of constant movement and off the ball cuts.

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In his sophomore season his three-point shooting dramatically improved and he became much more willing to shoot the ball from behind the arc. That piqued the interest of NBA scouts enough to land Porter top-five on most lottery teams' big boards.

Otto Porter's 2012-13 season:

Season	School	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2011-12	Georgetown	33	980	21.3	.578	.550	8.8	18.3	13.9	10.9	2.4	3.1	12.0	17.4
2012-13	Georgetown	31	1097	27.3	.590	.541	6.7	19.0	13.2	18.5	3.3	3.0	10.0	24.1
Career	Georgetown	64	2077	24.4	.585	.545	7.7	18.7	13.5	14.9	2.9	3.1	10.8	20.9

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table

Porter established himself as Georgetown's leader on November 19th against No. 11 UCLA. Porter scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished five assists, recorded three steals, and blocked five shots. His stat-stuffing performance was highlighted by the two three-pointers he hit. In his next appearance against Indiana, he shot 3-of-4 from downtown, in another stat sheet filling performance. What he showed in those two early games was that he had established a comfortable three-point shot, something that limited him in his freshman season.

His best game of the season came at No. 8 Syracuse on February 23rd. The Hoyas had won their previous eight games and were looking to prove that they were a real contender. They won their ninth straight against Syracuse, 57-46, behind Porter's 33 points and 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range.

Georgetown went on to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament before being upset by Florida Gulf Coast, which took the country by storm on its way to a Sweet 16 birth.

Porter led the Hoyas much further than anyone had expected. Georgetown tied for the best record in the regular season, and Porter was the Player of the Year in the conference. He finished the season shooting 42.2 percent from three, up nearly 20 percent from his freshman campaign.

Strengths:

Porter is a long, wiry forward with a variety of skills on both sides of the ball. His game will adapt quickly to the NBA. He's 6-foot-9 with tremendous length. His 7-foot-1 wingspan gives him distinct advantages both offensively and defensively. He'll need to improve strength, he only weighs 205 pounds, but his big frame and long arms will translate well to the NBA small forward position. If he can gain strength, he could become an NBA stretch four.

Porter's biggest strength--and what has guys around the NBA excited--is his unique, versatile offensive game. No one in this year's draft shot the ball more efficiently from 15-18 feet. Porter is extremely comfortable shooting off spot up situations from mid range. His improved long-range shooting is extremely encouraging.

He works extremely well off the ball and has the ability to score in a variety of ways. Off the ball, Porter can curl off screens or flare for corner threes. He is extremely smart on the offensive end and understands how and when to cut back door for easy buckets. Porter looks like he will fit in a variety NBA offenses, with misdirection plays becoming a staple around the league.

Porter is also comfortable with the ball in his hands. His ball handling isn't the best but he's able to dribble himself into spots on the floor from which he's comfortable shooting. He also uses the dribbling to set up teammates and Porter's ability to pass the ball is unique for his size. Porter's 18.5 percent assist rate is higher than Kevin Durant's in his first five years in the league. NOTE: I'm not comparing the two players, but it's encouraging that Porter has the ability to set teammates up at that kind of rate.

Porter is a willing defender, though he played mostly in zone sets while at Georgetown. He has the length to bother shooters and rebounds the ball on the defensive side of the ball at a nice clip. He has good anticipation and instincts which explain his 1.8 steals per game. He'll need to add strength so that he doesn't get bullied but he seems to understand basic defensive concepts and is willing to play on that end.

Weaknesses:

Porter has two glaring weaknesses that keep him from being a No. 1 pick: strength and athleticism.

He must add strength to play 30-plus minutes in the league. He often struggled to gain position in the low post as he would get bullied and couldn't get to his spots. Defensively, small forwards in the NBA will be able to muscle their way through Porter, though his length should add difficulty for that.

Athletically, Porter looks like he should be elite, but he's not. He's pretty fast in straight-on situations but he lacks the shifty lateral quickness that would take him to the next level. For the most part, Porter plays below the rim. At times it would look like he could finish with a dunk but would finger roll it in.

He's not extremely creative with the ball in his hands. Though he's an excellent passer from anywhere on the floor and has the ability to comfortably bring the ball up in transition, his shots off the dribble usually come out of one or two dribbles. One way of thinking about this is that Porter is just efficient, choosing to pull up off a couple dribbles rather than waste dribbles into another shot. Another way of thinking about that is that he lacks the ballhandling and creativity to be an elite scorer.

Overall:

Porter is an old-school type of player who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective on offense. He didn't play in a lot of pick-and-pop situations at Georgetown but his overall skill set suggests that he could become extremely good in these types of sets as a stretch power forward if he gains the strength needed to guard and rebound on the other end.

He's the most polished offensive player in the draft with a lot of potential on the defensive end. There will be a multitude of teams willing to take Porter in the top-3 come draft day. The question now: will the Orlando Magic be willing to take Porter at the top of the draft and how would he fit? I'm glad you asked...

How does he fit in with the Magic?

When I wrote about Kentucky's Nerlens Noel, I said that having too much talent is a wonderful problem especially with a promising young GM like Rob Hennigan. The same can be applied here for Porter. The Magic already have two players who are capable of playing the small forward spot in Maurice Harkless and Tobias Harris. Selecting Porter could crowd the depth of that position and eat into the minutes of Orlando's two other young forwards. Or:

Harkless would have to learn how to play the shooting guard spot. Porter-as versatile as he is--isn't athletic enough to slide to the 2-spot at the NBA. Harkless' shooting, though improving, would need to drastically improve for the spacing to work in Orlando's offense. In this case, Porter and Harris would play the forward spots.

Even in that situation, the question becomes "what happens to Arron Afflalo and Glen Davis?" and for that I have no answer. Maybe Hennigan deals one, or both, in the off-season. I'm not sure what would happen. Then there's always the possibility that Hennigan keeps everyone and Jacque Vaughn is tasked with rotating minutes enough to develop the young guys.

I think we can all agree that the off-season is a lot of fun, especially with rebuilding teams. It's never ending: the possibilities, the questions, the discussions.

NBA's official blooper reel features several Magic appearances

2013-05-12T00:44:51Z

The league has released its official blooper reel for 2012/13, and Orlando appears several times.

NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Victor Oladipo

2013-05-10T12:00:16Z

Victor Oladipo's rise to the top of NBA draft boards is much different than his peers. Oladipo came to Indiana, under coach Tom Creen, with limited expectations. He was ranked the No. 32 shooting guard by Scout.com and pegged as an athletic guard with decent size but limited offensive ability.

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In his freshman year on campus, he matched that description. Oladipo averaged 18 minutes per game as a role player, finding most of his buckets from hustle plays and earning playing time off of sheer effort. He capitalized on his athletic potential in his sophomore season, becoming a defensive stopper with a nonstop motor for Indiana as the Hoosiers turned the program around, finishing 27-9 and losing in the Sweet 16 to the eventual champion Kentucky Wildcats.

In 2012-13 Oladipo began to open eyes of scouts as his offensive game finally began to catch up to his elite athleticism.

Oladipo's 2012-13 season:

Season	School	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2010-11	Indiana	32	576	21.5	.586	.571	10.9	14.9	12.9	10.5	3.6	1.5	17.9	22.5
2011-12	Indiana	36	961	20.5	.546	.488	8.7	15.4	12.3	14.7	3.0	2.3	17.5	23.2
2012-13	Indiana	36	1021	28.9	.671	.648	11.8	13.9	12.9	15.2	4.6	2.8	18.5	22.2
Career	Indiana	104	2558	24.1	.604	.570	10.4	14.7	12.7	13.9	3.8	2.3	18.0	22.7

via Basketball-reference.com

In his first two seasons in Indiana, "YOLOdipo" proved that he had the potential to become a high-energy role player in the NBA. In his junior season he proved to be a consensus top-10 pick. His biggest knock had always been his lack of outside shooting. But this past season, his three-point percentage sky rocketed to 44.1 percent, more than doubling that of his sophomore season.

At the beginning of the season, most scouts would have told you that Oladipo's teammate Cody Zeller was the best player on the team and was a surefire top-10 pick. But throughout the season, Oladipo proved to be the more consistent player and the most important player to a Hooisers team that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Oladipo finished the season averaging 2.2 steals per game with a remarkable 67.1 percent True Shooting mark and 64.8 percent effective field-goal percentage.

Strengths:

Without a doubt, Oladipo's biggest strength is his insane athletic ability and he uses it to his advantage in every way imaginable. I mean, just look at this missed dunk. The internet called it the greatest missed dunk of all time. I still remember where I was when it happened, as I'm sure mostly everyone else who saw it live does too.

Oladipo has remarkable jumping ability and combines it with elite speed laterally and vertically. His hands are extremely fast and he seems to never run out of energy. That makes him an incredible on-ball defender, easily the best in this year's draft class. His on-ball defense is really a joy to watch.

He is constantly hounding ball handlers. He has the ability to stay low, move his feet, and keep his hands active, creating havoc against whoever he is guarding. In the pick-and-roll, he's strong and slippery enough to move around screens and fast enough to recover to contest the shot. Off the ball, he's a menace. When he's face-guarding, he uses his elite athleticism to literally shadow his man, disrupting the offense and killing the rhythm of shooters. He also has great instincts and he uses them to jump the passing lanes, stealing the ball and getting easy buckets in transition. At the NBA level, he will be able to defend point guards, shooting guards and smaller small forwards.

Oladipo's defense is great--everyone knows that--but his improvement on offense catapulted his draft stock and is what makes him so much more intriguing to GMs around the league. Oladipo is an excellent cutter, works well around the baseline and finishes efficiently at the rim. He works well without the ball as a slasher to the rim and uses his athleticism to his advantage around the bucket.

As a jump-shooter, his vastly improved outside stroke forces defenses to remain honest with him along the perimeter. He looks much more comfortable shooting than he did in his freshman season, as his shot is much more fluid and he's a lot less hesitant to let it fly. Even his free throw shooting rose, from 61.2 percent on 85 attempts as a freshman to 73.6 percent on 130 attempts in 2012-13.

A portion of his offense comes off of offensive rebounding, where Oladipo's 11.8 percent offensive rebounding rate is impressive and is a testament to his elite athleticism combined with his crazy motor.

Weaknesses:

His offense is improving, but there are still a lot of question marks. His 44.1 percent shooting from three-point range came on fewer than two attempts a game. Some analysts wander if his recent spike in shooting is a fluke or a product of hard work in the off-season. If he regresses back to his first two years at Indiana, will he be able to remain a shooting guard or will he move to small forward where he's a little undersized?

Oladipo also struggled in creating his own offense. His ball handling, though improving, still isn't on the level that it needs to be to become a starting NBA shooting guard and it limits what he can do on offense. His lack of elite dribbling limited him to predictable straight-line drives with his right hand. It also limits his ability to run pick-and-rolls, especially in the NBA where defenses will force him back to his left hand. My theory is that he's so fast that it's taking him longer for his ball handling to catch up.

He also doesn't get to the free throw line at the rate that his elite athleticism would suggest that he could. Right now, he shot just 3.6 free throws a game, a stat that many people in the league would like to see rise as his ball handling improves.

It stands reason to believe that a part of Oladipo's weakness in creating for himself comes with his playing style. He's plays so hard on every possession, choosing to work up a head of steam, lowering his shoulder and attacking the rim with vengeance rather than patiently weighing his options and taking what is available. In that sense, he's a little like a smaller Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with a better outside jumper.

Overall:

As far as comparisons go, some analysts, including ESPN's Chad Ford, say that Oladipo has a little Dwyane Wade in him. I don't really see that comparison, as Wade's range of scoring when he was at Marquette far exceeds Oladipo's. Oladipo reminds me more of Tony Allen. Both are active defensive stoppers who thrive on the offensive glass. However, Oladipo's 44.1 percent shooting from downtown is much better than Allen ever had at Oklahoma State.

Oladipo isn't going to be a star in the league but he has the potential to become one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders. And his continuing progress on the offensive end has to excite whatever team decides to select him. He's a hard-working player with explosive athleticism and a willingness to improve his game.

How does he fit in with the Magic?

Oladipo would fit in with the Orlando Magic the same way that Ben McLemore would: by becoming the Magic's shooting guard of the future. Drafting him would mean that Orlando expects the trio of Moe Harkless, Tobias Harris, and Nikola Vucevic to continue to develop offensively enough to cover for Oladipo's early offensive deficiencies.

Realistically, the Magic could trade back to draft Oladipo if they really fell in love with him during workouts. Rob Hennigan has shown a willingness to build around young, hard-working, high character guys and that's exactly what Oladipo is. This would mean that Hennigan and the Orlando front office see their point guard of the future in the 2014 draft. That train of though makes sense, with all of the reports of the Magic coveting Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, who is returning to school for the 2013-14 season.

NBA awards 2013: Rob Hennigan tenth in Executive of the Year voting

2013-05-09T17:38:31Z

After his first year on the job, Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan earned some praise from his peers as he finished seventh in voting for the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year award. Hennigan received one first-place vote and two third-place votes from the other team executives who voted on the award, which went to Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri.

More NBA awards coverage: SB Nation

Hennigan, the league's youngest GM, took on an unenviable task in June when he inherited a capped-out, veteran-laden team which had not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2010. In his first year, he hired a new coach and dramatically turned the Magic's roster over, keeping only five players from the final year of the Otis Smith era. His highest-profile move was the four-team deal which sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, but his shrewdest transaction may have been acquiring Tobias Harris from the Milwaukee Bucks at the trading deadline. The 20-year-old forward showed promise as a stat-sheet-stuffer, averaging 17.3 points, 8.5 boards, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game after the trade.

Hennigan's moves didn't lead to improvement on the court, as the team's 20-62 record was the league's worst, but there's no question--from fans, media, or his peers--that he has Orlando on the right rebuilding path.

Hennigan finished behind Ujiri, Gary Sacks of the Los Angeles Clippers, Daryl Morey of the Houston Rockets, Glen Grunwald of the New York Knicks, R.C. Buford of the San Antonio Spurs, Pay Riley of the Miami Heat, Bob Myers of the Golden State Warriors, Sam Presti of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Danny Ferry of the Atlanta Hawks. Hennigan shared 10th place with Billy King of the Brooklyn Nets and Donnie Walsh of the Indiana Pacers.

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Orlando Magic rumor: Orlando had "heart set" on Marcus Smart in 2013 NBA Draft

2013-05-08T16:56:47Z

The Orlando Magic continue to prepare for the 2013 NBA Draft, which is set for June 27th. In his latest mock draft for ESPN Insider, Chad Ford pegs Orlando to select Kentucky center Nerlens Noel with the top overall pick, but Noel may not be the highest player on Orlando's board.

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"According to sources, Orlando had its heart set on Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart," Ford says, "until he broke its heart when he decided to stay in college." Further complicating Orlando's options if it wins the first overall pick is that Noel, the consensus top prospect in the class, won't address the team's need for a young point guard. If the Magic prefer to go with a point guard, Michigan's Trey Burke is an option for Orlando, Ford says.

Smart posted 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his freshman season as he earned Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-American Second-Team honors, and he looked like a surefire high lottery pick. Instead of entering the Draft, he opted to return to Oklahoma State for at least one more season.

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NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Nerlens Noel

2013-05-07T16:00:07Z

Nerlens Noel's season ended with a tough-to-watch ACL tear against Florida. Gator guard Mike Rosario jumped the passing lane and headed for what should have been a wide-open layup. But Noel, the 6-foot-11 freshman big man, chased him down and blocked the shot. Noel's left knee collapsed underneath him, tearing his ACL. He laid on the ground, surrounded by teammates, yelling in pain.

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Despite the injury, Noel remains at the top of most draft boards. So what does he have to offer as a prospect?

Noel's 2012-13 season:

Season	School	Conf	G	MP	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2012-13	Kentucky	SEC	24	765	27.3	.583	.590	10.4	22.3	16.8	9.5	3.9	13.2	17.3	17.4
Career	Kentucky		24	765	27.3	.583	.590	10.4	22.3	16.8	9.5	3.9	13.2	17.3	17.4

via Basketball-Reference.com

Noel came to Kentucky a year after Anthony Davis led the Wildcats to a national championship. The comparisons were too easy. Both were long, shot-blocking big men. Both were super-athletic. Both had their own branding: Davis with his patent unibrow, Noel with the flat-top. They have their similarities, but they are very different players. Davis will wow you with his unique combination of athleticism and offensive poise. Noel is more electric athletically and has a motor that doesn't stop running.

He started off his freshman campaign little slow. In his first game, he was outplayed on both ends of the floor by Maryland big man Alex Len. But Noel started to get rolling in the second month of the season. He blocked five or more shots 12 times, including a 12-block performance against No. 16 Ole Miss. On January 12th against Texas A&M, Noel scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked seven shots, dished six assists, and recorded four steals.

Noel missed the last eight SEC games but still finished first in the league--and sixth in the nation--with 106 blocks. In a way, it was fitting for his injury to come on a hustle play in which he ran down a guard to record a block from behind. The young Wildcat team missed his leadership, presence, and defensive prowess as it went on to miss the NCAA tournament and lose to Robert Morris in the NIT in Noel's absence.

Strengths:

Noel is a dominant shot blocker, as highlighted by his 4.4 blocks per game. Noel blocked a two-point shot 13.2 times per 100 possessions.

In his 12-block performance against Ole Miss, Noel, who was playing with four fouls in the final minutes, blocked shot after shot, saving Kentucky's lead and sealing a victory for the Wildcats. Watch his body control. He's able to go straight up without fouling, but he's still coordinated enough to block the shots.

Noel also showed an innate ability to play pick-and-roll defense. He blew up pick-and-rolls with extremely hard hedges, often getting a steal out of the play. His world-class speed allows him to recover to the basket with ease, even if he gets caught out of position. With the right coaching, Noel has the ability to become one of the best pick-and-roll defenders in the NBA.

He averaged a remarkable 2.1 steals per game. He has extremely quick hands and showed the ability to poke balls out from unknowing post guys. His hands are constantly active and his 7-foot-4 wingspan, combined with his raw athleticism, allowed him to play passing lanes like a pesky wing defender. He won't be able to get away with playing defense like this in the NBA, but the possibilities he presents on the defensive side of the ball is endless.

Noel isn't often praised for his rebounding but he showed a natural instinct on the boards. You would think that with how often he attacks the weak-side looking for blocks that he would suffer on the boards, but that's not really the case. He averaged 11.9 rebounds per 40 minutes of action. Noel's super athletic and extremely active all over the floor so if he's not looking to block shots then he's attacking the boards hard. He gets off the floor extremely quick and his second jump is uncanny for a guy his size.

An underrated aspect of his offensive game is his ability with the ball. He looked comfortable enough handling the ball and finishing with either hand at the rim. He wasn't able to showcase it as much--because of the lack of spacing in college basketball--but he looked comfortable at the high post, taking his man off the dribble or passing to open teammates. With the development of any semblance of a mid-range game, Noel could become a player that runs sets from the top of the free-throw line.

Weaknesses:

Noel must gain a substantial amount of strength--particularly lower body strength--if he wants to become a defensive stopper in the NBA. He's listed at 216 pounds right now, about 20 pounds lighter than where he needs to be. He would often get bullied by bigger post players in college. Bigger guys like Len and Mason Plumlee would get low and push Noel under the basket, trapping Noel on their hip and taking away his shot-blocking ability.

On the offensive end, his skill set is limited right now. He's not strong enough to back down deep enough in to the post for easy buckets and his footwork leaves a lot to be desired. Right now, that lack of strength and footwork limits his post game to simple right and left-handed jump twisting jump hooks. His turnover rate is alarming. He turned the ball over 17.3 percent of the time, most of those coming out of the post. Noel doesn't look natural with his back to the basket and sometimes forces plays that aren't there.

As of now, he's shown no ability to shoot from mid-range. His mechanics are awkward and his 52.9 percent free-throw shooting suggests that his touch just isn't there yet. If he wants to develop into a big man with the ability to facilitate from the post, he's going to need to add a mid-range jumper to keep the defense honest. Otherwise, defenses are going to be able to sink off of him, creating spacing issues when he's on the floor.

And then, of course, there's that ACL tear thing that has people worried. One thing I can say to that is that Noel is one of the hardest-working guys I've seen go through Kentucky. He has a non-stop motor, much like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and when he says he's going to have a major comeback, I believe him. He was the heart and soul of the Wildcats, giving 110 percent effort on every possession and becoming a fan favorite from the moment he stepped on campus. If any college kid could recover from an ACL injury with the energy and focus you need to have for a full recovery, it'd be Noel.

Overall:

I think Noel could become much like the player Joakim Noah has become in the NBA. He's not nearly as strong as Noah and he doesn't finish through contact like Noah, but with added strength these are things that could be developed in time. Lucky for Noel, he's only 19 years old. He has plenty of time to add weight. He has plenty of time to develop offensively. He'll most likely never become a dangerous low-post threat, but if he can add a high-post game at the NBA level with his already dominant defense, then he'll be an excellent overall player for years to come.

How does he fit in with the Magic?:

If the Orlando Magic win the No. 1 overall pick and select Noel, he will likely sit the entire season. The Magic will focus on the continuing development of their young core and will (probably) own a top lottery pick next season. 2014 would be Noel's rookie season, as the Magic would allow him to take as long as he needs to fully recover. Noel would face unreal comparisons. His two predecessors--Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard--dominated in their stints in Orlando and fans will expect the same of the freshman out of Kentucky.

Orlando already has an extremely young frontcourt--Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Andrew Nicholson, Kyle O'Quinn--how would Noel fit in? That's something we would have to find out in 2014. The young frontcourt depth would be unreal, and seeing how Jacque Vaughn would manage those minutes would be interesting.

Still, my philosophy is that you select the best player available. And if Orlando wins the lottery and chooses to keep the pick, then Noel will be the best available player. If you're the Magic, you worry about your minutes and your roster management later. Too much talent is a wonderful problem to have and Rob Hennigan is a man you can trust with too much talent.

Returning Magic players didn't see much action in 2012/13

2013-05-06T12:00:12Z

When Dwight Howard made it clear that he no longer wished to play for the Orlando Magic, newly hired general manager Rob Hennigan set about rebuilding the team, and he wasted no time in turning over the roster. Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis, J.J. Redick, Ish Smith, and Hedo Türkoğlu were the only five players from Howard's last season with the Magic who returned for 2012/13, and Hennigan would go on to trade Redick and Smith in February.

The pie chart below shows the percentage of Orlando's minutes in 2012/13 that each player logged, with the five returning players spotlighted in the exploded section at the right. Newcomers accounted for a whopping 74 percent of the Magic's minutes in the first year of the post-Howard rebuild.

The returning players' diminished roles weren't necessarily by design: Nelson and Davis missed a combined 74 games due to injuries, and an injury-riddled Türkoğlu fell out of the rotation for good following a league-mandated suspension of 20 games for violating its drug policy. Nonetheless, the large portion of minutes that the newcomers played attests to the franchise's new direction.

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Magic's Maurice Harkless, Andrew Nicholson don't make All-Rookie teams

NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Otto Porter

Otto Porter's 2012-13 season:

Prospect profiles

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Overall:

How does he fit in with the Magic?

NBA's official blooper reel features several Magic appearances

NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Victor Oladipo

Oladipo's 2012-13 season:

Prospect profiles

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Overall:

How does he fit in with the Magic?

NBA awards 2013: Rob Hennigan tenth in Executive of the Year voting

Orlando Magic rumor: Orlando had "heart set" on Marcus Smart in 2013 NBA Draft

NBA Draft 2013 prospect profile: Nerlens Noel

Noel's 2012-13 season:

Prospect profiles

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Overall:

How does he fit in with the Magic?:

Returning Magic players didn't see much action in 2012/13