15 Men The Magic Need Opening Day

This Orlando Magic team isn’t the team that went to the NBA Finals in 2009 and there is no Dwight Howard playing center either. However, there are a few young up and coming players that with an extra year of experience under their belt can slowly turn this Magic team into a very talented group.

They still have some veterans on this team with starting point guard Jameer Nelson and wingman Hedo Turkoglu. Nelson is the clear cut starter at point, but Hedo shouldn’t see much playing time at all because they have younger and more talented players at the wing position. For the time being Turkoglu remains on the Magic, but if another team decides to take on his contract, they should trade him in a heartbeat.

Arron Afflalo starts at shooting guard, but with recently drafted Victor Oladipo as his back, some have to wonder if Afflalo is on thin ice. Maurice Harkless and Tobias Harris are two young players with bright futures in this organization. Harris came over to the Magic from the Bucks last year, and that was a blessing in disguise for Tobias. The way he played in Milwaukee and the way he played in Orlando were like polar opposites. He truly blossomed for the Magic and hopefully he comes in this year playing the same way.

Glen Davis returns from injury and not only does he bring a big body back to the paint, but his greatest skill level is his energy. Having him on the court may boost some of the other players up a bit too. Behind Davis, there is the veteran Jason Maxiell and the young Andrew Nicholson. It’ll be interesting to see which of the two get the most backup minutes. Nikola Vucevic had a breakout year last year, and he’ll look to continue that success this year.

Let’s take a deeper look at their team. This is the complete 15-man roster the Magic will likely open up the season with.

Point Guard

Jameer Nelson

Ronnie Price

E'Twaun Moore

Jameer is getting older, but he's still the best option they have at point guard. I would think Price would be the main backup to start out the year, but Moore will likely end the year getting more minutes.

Shooting Guard

Arron Afflalo

Victor Oladipo

Doron Lamb

Afflalo is the starter for now, but Oladipo will get his fair share of minutes right off the bat.

Small Forward

Maurice Harkless

Tobias Harris

Hedo Turkoglu

Romero Osby

Harkless is the starting small forward, but Harris will get minutes at both small and power forward. Hedo will like get minutes at both positions too, but if the Magic were smart they would only use Turkoglu in garbage time.

Power Forward

Glen Davis

Jason Maxiell

Andrew Nicholson

Big Baby Davis returns from an injury that kept him out for the majority of the season last year, but the question is who will be his backup. Do they go the veteran way with Maxiell or hope that the youth develops with Nicholson? All three will likely see time at the beginning of the year, but at some point two of them will show separation and make a formidable rotation.

Center

Nikola Vucevic

Kyle O'Quinn

Not many questions about who will get minutes at this position. Vucevic had a breakout year last year and will likely improve even more this season. O'Quinn may get a few minutes here and there, but Jason Maxiell will likely be used at the center position when Andrew Nicholson is in at power forward.