Iwundu gaining confidence
Rookie ‘terrific’ in home loss to Cavaliers
Orlando Magic rookie Wes Iwundu made six shots against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. But in some ways, those baskets weren’t as impressive as his lone miss of the game.
Late in the third quarter, Iwundu collected a defensive rebound near the baseline and dribbled upcourt. By the time he reached the Magic logo on Amway Center’s parquet floor, he realized that LeBron James had picked him up in transition. Iwundu slowed after he crossed the midcourt stripe, and then Iwundu accelerated, confronting James head-on. Iwundu attempted a contested floater in the lane.
Although the shot hit off the front of the rim, Iwundu’s inclination to challenge the world’s best player — James — reflected Iwundu’s growing confidence.
“I’m willing to accept any challenge,” Iwundu said after the Magic lost to the Cavaliers 131-127. “It’s the NBA. It’s a dream come true. It’s something I live for. I dreamed of guarding LeBron one day, and I finally did it today. I actually got a stop on him. Game by game, I’m getting more comfortable.”
With the Magic’s season devolving into a morass of injuries and losses, the growth of some of their young players might be their only bright spot.
Iwundu, an early second-round pick in last June’s draft, never looked better on an NBA court than he looked on Saturday. In 22 minutes against the defending Eastern Conference champs, he scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, gathered five rebounds, dished out three assists and had two steals. He did exactly what Magic coaches have asked him to do: provide energy, guard tenaciously and pick his spots on offense wisely.
“He was terrific,” coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s not getting beat like a rookie should get beat on the defensive end. He’s holding his own. We’re asking him to stay within himself offensively, and he’s pushing the envelope on that and making plays out of it.”
A case-in-point: a sequence early in the fourth quarter in which Orlando cut its deficit to 109-99. Iwundu stole a pass from Isaiah Thomas in the Magic’s defensive end, sped upcourt and dribbled behind his back as he evaded Thomas. Iwundu approached the lane and lobbed a pass toward the hoop. Aaron Gordon dunked the ball.
Iwundu is a 6-foot-7 swingman who played four seasons of college basketball at Kansas State. He became the first player in school history to compile at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career.
Magic officials envision him as a potential 3-and-D player — someone who can defend opposing wings well and also hit 3-point shots at a high rate. But at this stage of his development, Iwundu lacks a consistent 3-point shot. That shortcoming as a shooter is one reason why Magic coaches don’t want Iwundu to force shots.
Against the Cavaliers, Iwundu picked his spots carefully. When he spotted open space near the hoop, he often cut sharply into that space. In one instance early in the second quarter, Iwundu cut behind Cavaliers defender Jeff Green, received a laser-like pass from D.J. Augustin and scored on a layup that Green contested.
Iwundu’s performance was even more impressive because he was playing his second game in two nights.
On Friday, the Magic assigned him to their GLeague affiliate in Lakeland. He made the 55-mile drive from downtown Orlando to Lakeland, played 19 minutes against the Santa Cruz Warriors and then made the 55-mile drive from Lakeland back to downtown Orlando. Then on Saturday morning, he attended Orlando’s shootaround to prepare to face the Cavaliers.
“It’s tough,” Iwundu said. “It’s not easy. Lakeland, it’s a good atmosphere down there. The fans came out and showed their support. It’s a pretty good experience. … It’s definitely a good opportunity for me to keep getting better, keep finding myself as a player.”
On Saturday, Iwundu showed he is starting to find himself.
He and the team what they saw. liked