Last week, I pointed out how Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter had altered his game in the preseason. The Orlando Sentinel's Zach McCann asked coach Stan Van Gundy about Carter's changed offense:
Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, however, said there has been initiative to play Carter more off the ball, and the statistics are merely by chance.
"The hard part here a little bit is every time somebody takes a drop off, everyone wonders what’s going on," Van Gundy said. "For us, we’re a very balanced team. … He’s been playing really well. We want to get the ball in his hands as much as we can."
Van Gundy credited Carter’s efficiency — smarter shots, less turnovers — to his offensive success this preseason, not any sort of strategic change.
I'd also add that another factor contributing to Carter's improvement is his balance. He seemed more in control this preseason and took warm-up jumpers when possible. Not as much of the fading, drifting, contorting action that increased his degree of difficulty at times last season.
Carter was arguably the Magic's best all-around performer in the preseason, averaging 17.2 points per game on 66.1 percent True Shooting.