The Orlando Magic sport solid depth at point guard
The Magic have three starting point guards on the roster. But, Jameer Nelson will be the starter as long as he can stay healthy. The 28-year old Nelson played in 65 games (64 starts) for the Magic last season and he averaged 28.6 minutes, 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He has now played in 394 games (299 starts) in his six years with the Magic and he has averaged 27.6 minutes, 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Magic always seem to play better when Nelson is starting at the point so they need to find a way to keep him healthy in 2010-11.
28-year old Chris Duhon will likely be Nelson’s top backup at least when the season starts. Duhon played in 67 games (59 starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 30.9 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game but he only shot 37.3% from the floor. Duhon has now played in 446 games (296 starts) in his six years in the NBA and he has averaged 28.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He would be better off is he passed more and shot less.
34-year old Jason “White Chocolate” Williams is the #3 guy on the depth chart as training camp opens. Williams played in 82 games (18 starts) for the Magic last season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 6.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He has now played in 761 games (667 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 30.1 minutes, 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. It’s always good to have a guy like Williams on the bench and don’t be surprised if he beats out Duhon for the #2 job at some point in 2010-11.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MAGIC POINT GUARDS IN 2010-11: B