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Orlando Magic Not Missing a Beat with Jason Williams at the Helm

With Jameer Nelson out with an injury (torn meniscus in his left knee), Jason Williams has been forced to assume the starting position at point guard for the Orlando Magic beginning this past week and so far, so good.

 

Since Williams has been inserted as the starter, the Magic have been able to come away with wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Boston Celtics, and the Toronto Raptors. Out of the trio of victories, winning without Nelson against the Boston was the most impressive without a doubt.

 

Although Williams is not the scorer that Nelson is, he is as capable of running the offense without a hitch. The assist percentage of both players are nearly identical this year, at this point. Likewise, in his three starts, Williams has tallied 14 assists to only 3 turnovers. Williams has done an excellent job of starting the offensive sets for the Magic and letting the team's bevy of playmakers make plays. For example, with Nelson sidelined, one has seen Vince Carter's shot attempts rise a bit, given that he's had to assume more offensive responsibilities with Orlando lacking one of its main scorers on the court. However, don't let Williams fool you - he's still capable of scoring if the matchups are favorable, as they were yesterday against the Toronto Raptors.

 

What's been most impressive about Williams, though, has been his defense. It's been sterling, to put it simply. Although it's still early in the regular season and Williams benefits from playing in one of the best defensive schemes in the NBA, he has more than held his end of the bargain as the first line of defense for the Magic. With Williams, Orlando has been 13.4 points per 100 possession better than with him off the floor. If one looks closely, it's been Williams' presence on the defensive side of the ball that's been the catalyst. And those numbers aren't a fluke, either, as Williams' adjusted defensive plus/minus has been excellent, as well.

 

The questions remains whether or not Williams can keep up this level of play with extended minutes. So far, Williams hasn't shown signs of slowing down with more playing time, so it appears he can weather the storm while Nelson is rehabbing from his injury. As has been stated before, the Magic are better equipped as a squad to handle Nelson's loss and last Friday's win over the Celtics exemplified that particular statement. 

 

The more pertinent question may be whether or not Orlando can continue to have Anthony Johnson be the back-up point guard to Williams. Granted, Johnson got off to a slow start this past season and rounded into form as he played more, but there's no denying that the offense "slows down" with Johnson at the helm, as opposed to Williams. Also, Williams can create his own shot, Johnson can't. One shouldn't rush to judgment as Johnson has played three games backing up Williams and performed well against Oklahoma City in one of those contests, but it's something to keep an eye on for the next few weeks. 

 

All in all, it may not be worth it for general manager Otis Smith to make a move, given that Nelson is expected to be back within a month or so (possibly sooner). Of course, anything is possible.

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J-will has impressed so far in jameers absence, even playing a massive 39 minutes without missing a beat, which was needed considering AJ’s poor play so far. The big test will be whether he can play those kind of minutes durin Orlando’s marathon stretch of 4 games in 5 days and if not, which I suspect will be the case, whether AJ can lift his game sufficiently. Regardless, 11-3 with such a disruptive start is a great feat and I feel picking up a stopgap pg could hurt the team chemistry, which seems to now be coming together.

by Ezy on Nov 23, 2009 9:35 AM EST via mobile reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, that's going to be the test.

Whether or not J-Will can withstand the grind next week.

Welcome to 3QC, btw!

I write for Third Quarter Collapse and have a Twitter account.

"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat

by erivera7 on Nov 23, 2009 3:06 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

One thingi I've noticed ...

… is that a lot of the ball-handling duties outside the one spot are being handled by JJ and VC anyway. That’s more a product of our offensive strategy than anything else, but certainly confirms that idea that we don’t need nor will sign a third PG. And that’s OK.

by jMagic09 on Nov 23, 2009 11:41 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

I agree. I think we need to start seeing this rotation...

Starters: Williams, Carter, Pietrus, Lewis, Howard
2nd Unit: Redick: Carter, Barnes, Anderson, Gortat
3rd Unit: Johnson, Redick, Anderson, Bass, Gortat

I’m not lobbying for Johnson to get benched, but rather than JWill playing 38 minutes a game, I’d rather see:

PG Minutes:
JWill – 30 Minutes
Redick – 10 Minutes (More minutes coming at SG as well)
Johnson – 8 Minutes

by TragicMatt on Nov 23, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

Although JJ’s ball-handling skills are not the best, I have him playing with Carter to ensure that multiple players can handle the PnR, as JJ has been getting better at punishing defenders who go under the screen on him—a la healthy Jameer.

by TragicMatt on Nov 23, 2009 2:07 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

He looks SO much better than he did in his year before the retirement. I didn’t expect this.

by Vic De Zen on Nov 23, 2009 4:18 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Very impressed

and was wrong in doubting his abilities. He can get it done and fill his role; and thats all we need from him.

Should be an interesting week with 2 sets of back-to-backs and the quickest(?) guy in the NBA in Jennings.

"It's all part of the plan." Jeff Moorad and The Joker in the Dark Knight.

"Dwight Howard couldn't score 40 points in a game if he was going against Yi Jianlian's chair." Bill Simmons chat 5/20

"I don't feel this team can beat us four times," Mo Williams 5/21

by L Magico on Nov 23, 2009 6:48 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Jennings is one of the quickest. I wouldn't say he was THE quickest, though.

I write for Third Quarter Collapse and have a Twitter account.

"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat

by erivera7 on Nov 23, 2009 8:35 PM EST up reply actions   0 recs

quickest?

gotta be ty lawson…

by swamphead on Nov 23, 2009 10:53 PM EST via mobile up reply actions   0 recs

great review

j will is a good defender and in my opinion is just what the magic needs. we dont need a shoot first pg. in terms of trading i think its safe to say “in otis we trust”

go magic!!!

what we do in life echoes in eternity

by Hbkid on Nov 23, 2009 10:43 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

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