EASTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHEAST DIVISION Orlando The Orlando Magic was one of the youngest teams in the NBA last season—they ended the year at 25 years, 181 days, with 11 players with three-or-fewer years of NBA experience. They should be even younger in 2014-15 following an offseason that saw them cut ties with 10-year point guard Jameer Nelson and small forward Arron Afflalo. That puts the onus of responsibility for leadership in taking this team forward onto the backs of their young core of 22-year-old, second-year two-guard Victor Oladipo, 24-year-old fourth-year center Nikola Vucevic and 22-year-old fourth-year power forward Tobias Harris. That’s a nice base, but taking the reins of leadership will be trying. While they work things out, third-year head coach Jacque Vaughn must work in 2014 top-10 draft picks, forward Aaron Gordon (No. 4) and point guard Elfrid Payton (No. 10). Offseason veteran acquisitions Ben Gordon, Channing Frye, and Luke Ridnour will supply locker-room leadership. Orlando will improve but also have trouble keeping up in the improving Southeast. Likely playing without Oladipo early on will make things even tougher. Defense Orlando’s effort on the defensive end was a reason that more than a quarter of their schedule was decided by seven-or fewer points. But defense is still was an area that needs improvement. The Magic were in the middle of the pack in points per game, allowing 102 points, a point over the average and 17th in the League), opponents’ field goal percentage, as opponents shot .456 (13th), and two-point field goal percentage, .485 (12th), while their defense at the three-point line was in the bottom five (.371, 26th). One player that won’t need to improve his defense is Vucevic. The 7-0, 260-pound center, who enters his fourth NBA campaign, continued his stout play in the middle last season. One of only eight players in the League to average a double-double (13.0 ppg, 11.9 rpg), Vucevic led the team in rebounding 45 times, STARTERS G Elfrid Payton G Victor Oladipo C Nikola Vucevic F Channing Frye F Tobias Harris BENCH C Dewayne Dedmon G Evan Fournier F Aaron Gordon G Ben Gordon G Willie Green F Maurice Harkless G Devyn Marble F Andrew Nicholson F Kyle O’Quinn G Luke Ridnour Victor Oladipo
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