Orlando Magic Will Need Maurice Harkless To Step Up After J.J. Redick Trade

By John Raffel
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Maurice Harkless has a chance to show his stuff for the Orlando Magic more than ever, especially with J.J. Redick having been shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks. His potential has been untapped. It’s time for the Magic to tap it.

The rookie from St. Johns saw 28 minutes of NBA action Wednesday at the Dallas Mavericks, the day before Redick would say goodbye to the team. He was 9-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-2 in triples and ended with 20 points and eight rebounds. The previous day at home against the Charlotte Bobcats, he saw 32 minutes of play and was 6-of-14 from the floor, 1-of-3 in triples and  pulled down six rebounds.

It’s like Harkless realized what was coming up with the Redick trade and he was gearing up to take over controls of the offense for the Magic.

Harkless is trying to pick up his shooting percentage which is 46.4 percent from the floor. His numbers have steadily  improved and he’s giving indication he’ll be a major force in the future.

The Magic weren’t going to get into a salary dispute with Redick when he was ready to enter free agency and have helped themselves with younger players. Harkless is one of those younger players who needs to show what he can do and then do it on a consistent basics.

But it appears that with Redick having been traded, players like Harkless reallize it’s their turn and time to step up and get the job done. He’s shown some potential in that respect so far. The Magic is going to need him or someone else come forward in a major way.

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