The Orlando Magic were not ever meant to rely on Dwayne Bacon last season.
Bacon was a solid scorer to bring off the end of the bench and use in small doses. He was capable of filling the starter role when players got hurt and fill in minutes if there were injuries.
There were obviously a lot of injuries last season. Bacon was the only player to appear in all 72 games and he delivered, averaging 10.9 points per game on a 44.3-percent effective field goal percentage in 25.7 minutes per game. It was proof that almost any NBA-caliber player can produce stats when given the minutes to do so.
The reality hit Bacon this offseason. In free agency, he could only manage a minimum contract to join the New York Knicks.
The Magic had to break the glass last year because an emergency struck. Bacon played about as well as the team could expect. They just needed to rely on him too much.
But the idea of why the Magic added Bacon — a big scoring guard who just knew how to accumulate points, even if that was all he could do — was never a bad one. The Magic needed to have faith in all 15 players on their roster and even to lean on a veteran more so young players could be in roles that foster their growth — Clifford never bought into the idea for playing just for the sake of it.
The Orlando Magic relied on an emergency guard last season. They have found another veteran to fill the role with the addition of E’Twaun Moore.
The Magic reportedly now have their emergency guard.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports the Magic will sign guard E’Twaun Moore to a one-year deal, completing the team’s full-time roster at 15 players.
Moore was a little-used guard with the Phoenix Suns last year, averaging 4.9 points per game on a 50.0-percent effective field goal percentage in 14.4 minutes per game across 27 games. He made only seven appearances during the Suns’ playoff run.
It was a bit of a step back and perhaps a sign the veteran guard is slowing down a bit after a four-year run with the New Orleans Pelicans that topped off at 12.5 points per game in 2018. That was not so long ago.
Neither is the growth Moore has made since his first run with the Magic. Moore averaged 7.1 points per game across 154 games for the Magic in 2013 and 2014. He shot 34.6-percent from beyond the arc in those two seasons, but he has not shot worse than 34-percent on 3-pointers until last season since leaving Orlando.
What Moore brings to the Magic then is someone who is a capable shooter and floor spacer. He has some scoring ability, but he is not going to dominate the ball. And, despite his 6-foot-3 height, a capable and versatile defender.
In his small sample last season, Moore hit 50.0-percent of his pull-up 3-pointers and 50.0-percent of his corner 3-pointers. Moore gives the Magic something they have precious little of — a 3-point threat.
He also had a high assist rate off his drives compared to the rest of the league. Unlike Bacon, he has a willingness and an ability to create off the dribble and pass to open shooters off his drive — his assist rate on drives was 12.3-percent (82nd percentile according to Basketball Index).
Defensively, he averaged 1.2 steals per 75 possessions. That is at least some positive sign. Although most of his minutes last year were extremely limited or after games were already decided.
In 2020 with the Pelicans, Moore shot 39.5-percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and 38.1-percent on above-the-break 3-point shoots. He had an 8.8-percent assist rate off drives in the 2020 season. And he recorded 0.6 steals per 75 possessions.
Moore’s best skill that he brings to the table is his shooting. Otherwise, his career has been marked by a general reliability or being available when teams need them but not a whole lot more. Moore is a bit inconsistent outside of his reliable shooting throughout his career.
It has always been hard to discern much about Moore from his stats other than this conclusion.
This is a true break glass, in case of emergency kind of player.
As some have noted, adding a veteran like E’Twaun Moore to the Magic’s final roster spot is perhaps a sign the team felt like it needed a veteran guard with Michael Carter-Williams likely missing the start of the season.
Orlando certainly needs veteran players. And it feels like the team has stocked up some on veteran players to support their young players and keep the young players on their development plans. The Magic want to avoid having to play Chuma Okeke at shooting guard like they did last year.
They want to clearly define player roles and use veterans to fill in the gaps or fit into the square holes when necessary.
Moore is very much that player. He is capable of stepping in whenever the team needs him to play either wing position. He is a capable defender for his size and a strong shooter. That shooting is how he carved a decade-long career in the NBA — something nobody probably thought was possible even in his strong two-year run with the Magic.
The hope for the Magic though is they only have to use him sparingly. He is not likely a player who is going to supplant any of the guards on the roster. If he does, that speaks to the poor progression and development of players on the roster.
Moore is very much the emergency guard whose primary role is to push others in practice and be a veteran to them in the long run.
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September 10, 2021 at 12:14AM
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E’Twaun Moore will fill Orlando Magic’s emergency guard role - Orlando Magic Daily
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