Post#22 » by Def Swami » Wed Nov 25, 2020 12:58 pm
I don't think Okeke is a SF. Like Gordon, he's better suited at PF.
At the same time, I think playing Okeke and Gordon together as starters might be the best option for the Magic. I'm assuming Ennis is the default starter at SF, and he's fine. I actually really like Ennis. But if the Magic could get slightly better defense and more consistent shooting from deep out of that position, they can probably scrap together enough wins to replicate what they did last year.
I don't know how much Okeke's shot will translate to the next level, but if it does, he's arguably one of the better shooters on the team. If he doesn't hurt you on defense, and can hit open 3's, then I think that might be better than any other option the Magic have at SF. We're not maximizing the strengths of Okeke and Gordon by playing them together, but that is the story of this team. The Magic have never really cared about playing players out of position to their detriment or the detriment of the team. We played Gordon out of position for almost half his career. Birch/Vucevic pairings kill spacing. Fultz and MCW sharing the floor together kills spacing. Augustin pounding the rock for 16 seconds with Fultz parked in a corner kills spacing. Hell, Clifford even tried to play Bamba and Vucevic together.
While it's likely not a good fit, I wouldn't surprised if starting Okeke with Gordon is the team's best starting lineup. It would certainly be more interesting. If Okeke gets that nod, I'd be surprised but excited. I'll be annoyed if Aminu gets it and they move Gordon to SF.