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According to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the time has come for the Orlando Magic to make Victor Oladipo a full-time member of their starting lineup. Schmitz's proposed change: benching Jameer Nelson and starting Oladipo at point guard for the rest of the season.
"Give him the reins as the full-time starter the second half of the season, where he has to lead and organize a half-court offense from tip-off against the top point guards in the league," says Schmitz. "This way, Victor can fully concentrate on playing one spot instead of switching from 2 to 1 and back during games."
The Magic picked Oladipo with the second overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft. A shooting guard at Indiana, Oladipo has played both backcourt positions in Orlando, with mixed results: the Maryland native is averaging 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, but is also shooting just 40.6 percent from the floor and committing 3.2 turnovers per game.
Schmitz says playing Oladipo exclusively at the point will enable him to become more comfortable with the ball in his hands, which improvement will help him as he develops into a ball-dominant shooting guard in the Dwyane Wade mold.
Where do you stand on this subject, Magic fans? Please vote in the poll embedded in this post.
