The Orlando Magic have gotten off to a 2-2 start after their close win against the Bulls last night. They beat the Bulls 96-93 behind Dwight Howard’s 22 pt/15 rb and five others scoring in double digits. Howard has stated that he intends to get a double double in every game this season, an achievable yet somewhat lofty goal, and has backed up that statement thus far.
The Magic are going through a small transition after losing Keyon Dooling to the Nets in free-agency and are giving JJ Reddick his shot to prove himself in the aftermath. Reddick has no more excuses and needs to perform better than he’s shown, two points on free throws and no field goals in four games. Courtney Lee got his first action last night and looked like a rookie is supposed to. He should develop this year off the bench and there isn’t too much pressure being put on him to make any impact.
The keys for this team’s success this year hinge on Rashard Lewis becoming tougher defensively and being more consistent offensively, Hedo maintaining his presence as a scoring threat and Mickael Pietrus becoming the big time two guard the Magic so desperately need. Pietrus doesn’t need to become Kobe Bryant, but he needs to at least be more aggressive from that spot. His defense and his perimeter shooting are the reasons the Magic signed him, but his athleticism is what can make this team a power in the East.
The bench also needs to step up. Reddick, Bogans and company have looked below average so far and that’s not going to get it done. Bogans finally had a decent game off the bench last night with 13 pt/5 rb, yet had struggled before that. With Pietrus developing, Nelson and Lewis’ inconsistency and Howard being the defensive focus of other teams, Bogans/Anthony Johnson/Reddick need to give this team points off the bench. I believe these are just early season transgressions and think Bogans and Johnson will contribute as expected, Reddick I’ve always doubted, so we’ll just wait and see.
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