Clifford expecting to get more from Vucevic, Ross
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The play of center Nikola Vucevic and shooting guard Terrence Ross — both of whom were officially re-signed Saturday to new four-year deals — won’t be the only keys to success next season for the Orlando Magic.
Magic coach Steve Clifford said team improvement goes beyond two players. While he expects the veteran duo will find ways to get better, Clifford said every player on the roster has to improve.
“I think the misconception in this league is only younger players have to get better in the offseason. Nothing’s further from the truth,” Clifford said Sunday from the Summer League in Las Vegas. “The best players in our league, the older players, if you really watch closely, they get better every year.
“Guys like Vooch and Terrence, they’re not going to make the giant step that a 20-year-old will make, but they know this, and they’re both good workers. It’s important that every guy gets better and that’s what you have to do to take a step [forward].”
Nonetheless, Clifford is happy to get back two players who filled important roles in last season’s run to the playoffs. Vucevic led the team in scoring and rebounding while Ross was its top 3-point shooter and one of the best sixth men in the NBA.
“We’re hopeful, obviously, that it will help a lot,” Clifford said of re-signing Vucevic and Ross. “I think also the fact that they’re good players in the prime of their careers, and they played well last year. I think they can play even better this year.”
While in Las Vegas, Clifford has been watching film on the Magic’s other freeagent signee, Al-Farouq Aminu. Clifford has been impressed with he’s seen so far from the 6-foot-9 forward who started 81 games for the Trail Blazers last season.
The Magic finalized a three-year deal with Aminu on Saturday.
“He’s just a really good NBA player. He plays in a manner when he’s on the floor that you have a chance to execute on both ends every possession,” Clifford said of Aminu. “He’s smart, high IQ, [has] positional size and [is] a very good defender, so I’m getting more up to speed on him, but he’s a very, very good player.”
Next season’s roster will feature Aminu, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Wes Iwundu at the forward spots.
In addition, the Magic have more depth at forward with first-round draft pick Chuma Okeke. Although he’s recovering from a torn ACL, he still figures prominently in the Magic’s future.
Clifford, however, doesn’t see a logjam. He sees it as an extension of what the Magic are trying to build with their roster.
“What you want to have is versatile guys who can play multiple positions, and that’s what all those guys are,” he said. “They have a defensive component to the game that makes things easier for everybody, and they can all play together.
“Down the line, you can envision a lineup with the way this league is now you could do Aaron [Gordon] with Jonathan [Isaac] with Al-Farouq at the 3, 4 and 5. You could also envision one of them at the 2, one at the 3 and one at the 4.”
Bamba sits against Nuggets
Second-year center Mo Bamba did not play in Sunday’s Summer League game against the Denver Nuggets at Cox Pavilion. The move was simply a precaution as the team seeks to manage his minutes and takes a conservative approach as Bamba comes back from a stress fracture injury in his left leg that forced him to miss 34 games last season.
Amile Jefferson, who spent last season on a twoway contract with the Magic, started in Bamba’s place. Cameron Lard, a rookie out of Iowa State, was the first center off the bench.
Bamba scored 15 points in 15 minutes during Friday’s Summer League opening win against the San Antonio Spurs.
When the Magic reached an agreement to re-sign Vucevic, some fans voiced their concerns on social media that Bamba’s development would be slowed. Clifford disagrees.
In his experience, he said teams want to have as much depth as possible. Clifford acknowledges Bamba has put in a lot of work to return from his stress-fracture injury but contends his development won’t be hindered playing behind Vucevic. He thinks the opposite is true.
“I think Vooch is good for Mo. Mo has a chance to be a very good player, and I think it’s actually good for him [playing with Vucevic],” Clifford said.
“What we’ll do is look for a role that he can play well in. That’s the way it always starts. But what you want to have in the NBA is you want to have as many good players as you can. We’re in a place now where it’s about winning.
“So I would say this to any fan: If you can give me a guy that averaged 20 [points] and 12 [rebounds] and give a somewhat intelligent reason why a team wouldn’t bring him back, you’d be a very creative thinker. And I’ve been doing this 20 years.”