Serge Ibaka is Orlando Magic's best bet for an All Star
It has been a long time since the Orlando Magic have sent a player to the All-Star game. Is this the year the drought ends? And who do they send?
The All-Star game is right around the corner. Voting has begun for the starters for the big game.
In just a bit more than a month, the Orlando Magic will certainly have a player involved in the festivities. That man will be Aaron Gordon. Gordon put on a show in the NBA Dunk Contest last season and is due for a rematch with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine.
Although it will be entertaining possibly seeing Aaron Gordon put on a show Saturday night, the All-Star game may yet again be without a player representing the Magic.
Since Dwight Howard‘s departure after the 2012 season, the Magic have gone without an All-Star. That is good for the longest drought in team history.
Orlando is still fighting for Playoff positioning. And the team is not on national TV at all — not even NBATV. This is not a team with a ton of notoriety. There certainly are no players who will get a starting nod. But if the Magic are still in the Playoff race, surely there will be someone the coaches consider for a reserve spot for the big game?
With the way the Eastern Conference has shaped up, it would be nothing short of a miracle if a Magic guard came even close to the top of the list for the guard positions.
The East is loaded with talent in the backcourt. Players like Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan are just a few names that should find their way onto the All-Star roster.
Even though he has missed a few games of late, Evan Fournier is the Magic’s best bet in regards to All-Star potential at the guard position. Fournier has proven to be one of the top shooting guards in the Eastern Conference.
Currently, Evan Fournier is averaging just shy of 18 points per game. That number puts him in fourth out of all qualifying two guards in the Eastern Conference.
There is little debate Fournier is the best offensive player on the Orlando roster. With such a large load on his shoulders, it is impressive he is able to put together consistent performances. Especially with how hard it has been for the team to score (The Magic currently sit in 24th in points per game).
Although Fournier is a top-tier shooting guard in the East, Dwyane Wade, Bradley Beal and DeMar DeRozan would all be more deserving than Fournier. So, add those three guys to the talented guard pool in the east, Fournier is the odd man out.
Fournier may be the most deserving of an All-Star bid for the Magic. But the case may be better for the Orlando Magic frontcourt. In particular, forward Serge Ibaka.
Even if Serge Ibaka has a better chance to make the All-Star game than anyone else on the roster, the odds of that happening are still not very likely.
Sadly, the All-Star game ballot only has two “positions” a fan can vote for. The “guard” category, or the “frontcourt category”. This means Ibaka has to compete with centers, power forwards and small forwards. This makes his chances of getting on the roster even lower.
Yes, the amount of spots on a roster are the same, but far too often do high-scoring wing players get the nod over talented power forwards like Ibaka. For instance, Carmelo Anthony, is probably going to make the team while Ibaka is not.
Anthony may still get voted in because of his popularity with fans.
Now, Anthony is a great player but he has had one of his worst seasons of his career. Anthony has caused Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek to look away whenever he runs his patented iso plays. This screams unworthy of an All-Star appearance.
His name alone is going to garner extreme numbers in the voting ballots. That is another obstacle Ibaka has to overcome. Add to the fact LeBron James, Paul George and Giannis Antetokounmpo all play small forward too, Ibaka cannot compete.
There still is another position Ibaka would have to outperform too. That is the big men of the East led by Hassan Whiteside, Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard. The East has a great crop of centers that are going to get tons of votes.
Ignoring the competition at other frontcourt positions, Ibaka is among the Eastern Conference elite at power forward. Only Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Love, Jabari Parker and Paul Millsap score more points than him.
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Of course, some may argue that some of the aforementioned players are not really power forwards, but that is what ESPN.com has them listed as. And they all get thrown into the “frontcourt” grouping.
Like the guards, the frontcourt players are extremely crowded with credible candidates.
Ibaka scores as much as any other four in the East, yet he does it efficiently. He is in the top 10 in both field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. This is impressive due to how much the Magic have put the ball in his hands of late.
Ibaka is not only an offensive threat, he makes an impact on the glass. He is sixth out of all the power forwards in the East in rebounds per game. Ibaka is also fourth in total offensive rebounds.
The difference maker for Ibaka is his defensive prowess. Ibaka is able to change the course of a game with his ability to block shots. In comparison to the rest of the East’s power forwards, only Porzingis comes close. The Knicks young star has 62 blocks to Ibaka’s 64.
Much like Fournier’s situation, Ibaka is on the outside looking in when it comes to the All-Star game just because of the loaded talent pool.
It is clear both Ibaka and Fournier are on the cusp of the All-Star conversation. Both players are in the top 10 in many categories for their respective positions and have proven they are among the best their conference has to offer.
Ultimately they fall short because of their poor popularity and visibility and the Magic’s overall middling record at 16-21.
Ibaka and Fournier cannot compete with a Wade or Anthony in terms of popularity. Many deserving players still cannot. It is just not going to happen.
Ibaka and Fournier’s play has not been enough to become a surefire threat to some of the perennial guys. Just because they are past their primes does not mean that fans are going to leave them off their ballot.
Odds are, Fournier and Ibaka are going to be mentioned as possible reserves. They may be one of the first or second guys to not make the team. If the voting was different, they may have a better chance.
The Orlando Magic may have had an All-Star on their hands if the voting was based on positions.
Sadly, Magic fans will have to settle for the Aaron Gordon show at the dunk contest. If he accepts that invitation.
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