38-year old head coach Jacque Vaughn did the best he could with what he had left after the Dwight Howard deal.  The Magic were 20-62 (24.4%) in Vaughn’s first season in charge of the Orlando Magic.  He was going into a gun fight with a butter knife on most nights as the Magic are in the beginning stages of a major rebuilding project.  I think the Magic are going to be very patient with Vaughn as he is also learning on the job as to how to be an NBA head coach.

The Magic had five rookies in 2012-13, and they all look to have bright futures with the team.  19-year old small forward Moe Harkless was the most impressive rookie, in my opinion.  He played in 76 games (59 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 26.0 minutes, 8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He only had 1 double-double for the Magic last year, but he had 29 games in which he scored at least 10 points.  He also had 29 games with at least five rebounds, 10 games with at least 3 steals and 5 games with at least 3 blocked shots….which shows what kind of big time potential he has.  23-year old power forward Andrew Nicholson was also solid as a rookie.  He played in 75 games (28 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 16.7 minutes, 7.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  He had 2 double-doubles for the Magic in 2012-13.  Nicholson had 28 games with at least 10 points and 22 games with at least 5 rebounds last night, which is pretty impressive.  23-year old center Kyle O’Quinn played in 57 games (5 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 11.2 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  O’Quinn had 2 double-doubles for the Magic last year.  O’Quinn had 7 games with 10 or more points and 17 games with at least five rebounds, which is very impressive given his limited minutes in 2012-13.  22-year old small forward DeQuan Jones also played well off the bench for the Magic last year.  He played in 63 games (17 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 12.7 minutes, 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He scored at least 10 points in a game four times last year.  21-year old shooting guard Doron Lamb played in 24 games (0 starts) for the Magic last year after coming over in the J.J. Redick deal with the Bucks and he averaged 12.4 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  Lamb played in 47 games (0 starts) overall last year for the Bucks and Magic in which he is averaging 12.3 minutes, 3.3 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.7 assists per game.  Nicholson, Harkless, O’Quinn, Jones and Lamb are the first wave of the rebuilding of the Magic in the post-Dwight Howard era and they have a lot of potential.

The Orlando Magic hit rock bottom in 2012-13, as they finished with the worst record in the NBA (20-62).  The Magic finished in last place in the Southeast Division, 46 games behind the Miami Heat.  That being said, the Magic were not without bright spots in 2012-13 as a lot of their younger players stepped up.  The future is bright for the Magic, but the playoffs are pretty far down the road.  Here is a look at the players that made the biggest impacts for the Magic in 2012-13, in my opinion:

TEAM MVP:  Nikola Vucevic – 22-year old center Nikola Vucevic was part of the Dwight Howard trade and he looked pretty good in 2012-13 for the Magic.  He played in 77 games (all starts) in his first year with the Magic and he averaged 33.2 minutes, 13.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  Vucevic also had 46 double-doubles last year as he was dominating in the paint.  He is a player the Magic are going to build the future around.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:  Tobias Harris – 20-year old forward Tobias Harris was acquired from the Bucks in the J.J. Redick deal and he was outstanding for the Magic.  He played in 27 games (20 starts) for the Magic last year and he averaged 36.1 minutes, 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  Harris played in 55 games (34 starts) overall last year for the Bucks and Magic in which he averaged 23.6 minutes, 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  He also had 9 double-doubles last year.  Harris will likely team with Vucevic to give the Magic a nice frontcourt in the future.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:  Hedo Turkoglu – 34-year old small forward Hedo Turkoglu sucked for the Magic this year and then he got suspended for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.  Turkoglu played in 11 games (1 start) for the Magic last year and he averaged 17.2 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.  He only shot 26.4% from the floor, 4.2% from three point range and 50% from the free throw line last year.  I will be shocked if Turkoglu ever plays in another game for the Magic.

The Magic need to find a way to ditch 34-year old small forward Hedo Turkoglu.  They have already used their amnesty clause, so that is not an option for them.  Look for the Magic to either buy out Turkoglu this summer or try to attach him in any deal they make involving Arron Afflalo or Glen Davis.  Turkoglu has played in only 11 games (1 start) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 17.2 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.  He is only shooting 26.4% from the floor, 4.2% from three point range and 50% from the free throw line this year….which is horrible.  Turkoglu has now played in 497 games (412 starts) in his 8 years with the Magic and he is averaging 32.7 minutes, 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.  Turkoglu is currently #6 in games played in Magic’ history with 497 of them.  He is also #3 in three pointers made (794), #5 in defensive rebounds (1,851), #5 in total rebounds (2,221), #6 in assists (1,927), #9 in steals (425) and #6 in points scored (7,216) in Magic’ history.  Although it won’t be a loss if the Magic get rid of Turkoglu, he was a solid player most of his career with them.

31-year old point guard Jameer Nelson is a little banged up right now, but he has played well in 2012-13 for the Magic when healthy.  Nelson has played in 56 games (all starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 35.3 minutes, 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  He has now played in 583 games (488 starts) in his first 9 years with the Magic and he is averaging 28.9 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Nelson is now #3 in games played (583) in Magic’ history.  He is also #4 in three pointers made (738), #7 in defensive rebounds (1,503), #8 in total rebounds (1,807), #5 in steals (567) and he’s #5 in points scored (7,364) in Magic history.  Nelson is also the all-time leader in Orlando Magic’ history in assists with 3,025 of them.  I think the Magic would like to get younger before the 2013-14 season, but they should keep Nelson around for at least one more year for his leadership.

20-year old small forward Tobias Harris and 30-year old SG/PG Beno Udrih have both played really well since coming over from the Bucks in the J.J. Redick deal.  Harris has played in 23 games (16 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 35.5 minutes, 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocked shots per game.  Udrih has played in 23 games (5 starts) for the Magic so far and he is averaging 26.0 minutes, 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Harris is going to have a big role for the Magic moving forward as they continue to rebuild, as he has a huge upside.

23-year old center Kyle O’Quinn has really stepped up lately for the Magic.  In his last seven games, O’Quinn is averaging 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  He has now played in 50 games (4 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 10.7 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  O’Quinn is shooting a very impressive 54.3% from the floor so far this year and 70% from the free throw line.  O’Quinn looks like a steal for the Magic in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.

24-year old PG/SG E’Twaun Moore has been a solid addition to the Orlando Magic.  He has played in 63 games (17 starts) so far this year and he is averaging 22.2 minutes, 8.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.  Moore has played in 12 games (3 starts) so far in March and he is averaging only 19.1 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  Moore will likely start to play more due to the season ending injury to Arron Afflalo.

The Orlando Magic have lost 27-year old shooting guard Arron Afflalo for the rest of the 2012-13 season due to a severe hamstring injury.  He played in 64 games (all starts) for the Magic this year and he averaged 36.0 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.  This is a huge loss for the Magic, as Afflalo was their leading scorer this year.  30-year old Beno Udrih will likely replace Afflalo as the Magic’s starting shooting guard the rest of the way in 2012-13.  Udrih has played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 20.9 minutes, 8.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

31-year old point guard Jameer Nelson has really stepped up since returning to action.  Nelson has played in 7 games (all starts) so far in March and he is averaging 39.5 minutes, 18.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  Nelson has now played in 50 games (all starts) for the Magic so far this year and he is averaging 35.7 minutes, 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Nelson is the kind of point guard that the Magic need right now…..a veteran to lead the kiddie corps.