Let's take a look at the numbers the Magic's Big 3 are putting up thus far.
C Karl Anthony-Towns
PPG: 31.7 RPG: 12.3 BPG: 1.3 SPG: 1.3
Karl Anthony-Towns or KAT has made his presence known as the new man in the middle in Orlando.
"He's coming along exceptionally well as we still make adjustments to the offense to maximize him as best we can", stated Head Coach Nate McMillan.
"LaMelo and Ja are making good reads on low post passes. KAT's getting open and he's also taking his defenders on his own when he has the ball as well. He even hit a 3 last night which shows us he has the range to make them.
He's definitely got more of an offensive game than we were able to witness in Houston so we'll see how we can further expand and exploit that here", finished McMillan.
"I'm just pretty comfortable here in the offense but I'm more concerned about the Wins at the end of the day. Coming from a situation in Houston to here is night and day and I want to be able to get this franchise back into the Playoffs then we'll see what happens from there", said KAT.
Anthony-Towns and Jakob Poeltl have combined to form a very formidable frontcourt for Orlando with their strong offensive, defensive, shot blocking, and rebounding presence.
PG Ja Morant
PPG: 18.3 RPG: 6 APG: 5 SPG: 1.3
"We're very pleased with Ja and his progression here as he's handled the adjustments very well. Definitely one of the toughest guards in the League to contain", stated Ast Coach Brian Shaw.
"Keep in mind he was traded for during the Draft last season with the assumption of being the lead PG then the Draft played out to where we were able to select LaMelo who's also a PG so the thing is getting them acclimated to playing with one another whether in a starting or reserve role", Shaw concluded.
"It's a change as we have several new players in but you know I'm a still go out here and do my thing and play hard no matter what. I just gotta get my shot to fall I think I pressed too much last night in Memphis going up against Culver and it probably hurt us but it's all good. I can go out here and get 30 anytime I want to but it's a team effort", said Ja.
PG LaMelo Ball
PPG: 7.7 RPG: 7.3 APG: 9 SPG: 1
"He's such a fun loving young man we just love having him around. He goes out there and makes some excellent reads and impresses us every time he's out there on the court. He gets everyone involved and his game is so fluid", said Ast Coach Brian Hill.
"I just tell the guys have their hands ready cause the ball might hit 'em in the face if they not lookin'. I'm just glad to be out here running and hope we get the chance to really push the pace some more", stated Ball.
After the offseason signings of Poeltl, McDaniels, Dort, OG, and Okogie, there's a move of note that Orlando recently made as they realized he was overlooked during the hustle and bustle of the offseason.
SG Devin Booker
"Make no mistake about it, Devin Booker was brought in for a reason. He's a guy who can shoot the ball from distance to be able to spread the floor for a guy like a KAT, a guy like Ball, a guy like Morant", said Shaw.
"I'm just looking forward to coming in here showing I have a place in this League and I'm grateful to get the opportunity here in Orlando to play with a guy like KAT and the rest of them", said Booker.
Word is McMillan is going to insert him into the starting rotation as he's seeing a continuing trend of the team not shooting so well from downtown as defenses swarm on KAT.
However it is not yet known if this means Morant, Ball, or Dort will move into a bench role for the upcoming home games vs Houston, Denver, and Milwaukee.
"These will be some tough games as we face off against Bam and Monk in Houston, Silva and co in Denver, and Brandon Ingram in Milwaukee. This'll see what we're made of and give us some direction as to how the season may play out and what adjustments we need to make", said Coach McMillan.
"We're looking forward to the challenge."
Go Magic!
