Orlando Magic Centers Sparring for Playing Time

I asked Wendell Carter Jr. about the big man positional battles taking place in Orlando Magic Training Camp against the likes of Goga Bitadze and Nikola Vucevic.

Carter boasted that he definitely gets better competing against these two bigs, saying it helps that Vucevic's and Bitadze's different styles of play give Carter a different type of big to practice against:

(Position Battles) have been good. That is something I can definitely say I have gotten better playing against those two guys.

They have two different styles of play, so I get a look at two different types of bigs in this league.

For Goga? He is relentless. He is a guy who is going to go out there, he is going to give his all until he cannot anymore. That is one of those guys who just, whatever is needed for the team, he is going to do it and he does not stop, he just keeps going.

And then Vooch; Vooch is very polished. Year 15 now, so we kinda know what kinda player he is. Stretch the floor, really good shooter, probably one of the best on the team. He just has amazing feel for the game; he just understands where to be and when to be there.

So yeah, those are my two matchups from training camp.Wendell Carter Jr.

I asked Bitadze about practicing against Carter, who has been his sparring partner in practice not just this training camp, but for years.

Bitadze described a mythical being who combines strength and selflessness to a level that can only be rivaled by Superman or Goku:

He is a monster. He makes a lot of sacrifices. He got game.

It is really hard to stop him. Me and him going against each other every single day, I think makes us both better.

He is a specimen, physically. He is so strong... I think I give him good work, and he works on it.

The biggest thing is him sacrificing some things, and him being a winner, as well.

Defensively, he can guard pretty much everybody. Him switching onto guards, I think he did great job even last year in the (Detroit) series.

So, (he is) a big-time player.Goga Bitadze

These big man position battles not only help prepare these centers for hoops warfare, they could very well sway the coaching staff one way or another in future decisions.

The resident proven starter is clearly Carter, who has earned the full-time job; there is no question he will start any game he is fully healthy. The talents behind him, though, are ready to step in and play, so missing too much time while another player shines in their role could always force a shift.

Carter offers one of the most versatile skill-sets of any big man in the NBA, able to do just about any role a big man is traditionally asked of, while also being able to switch and hold his own on just about any player in the league due to his agile footwork, strength, wingspan, and fundamental feel.

I asked Carter, Vucevic, and Bitadze at Magic Media Day about expected roles under Sean Sweeney:

He just wants me to kinda get out of my own way — not second guess things, be assertive, hold the defensive side down. Help my team on the defensive side.

Be a great communicator.

Definitely wants me to take shots when they are open, for sure, not turn down shots. That is really about it.

Showing up each and every day, being the vet that I know that I am, and help this team win.Wendell Carter Jr.

Vucevic still honing the three-ball is frankly the biggest wildcard in next year's Magic center rotation, beyond the obvious factors like availability.

If Vooch is knocking down catch-and-shoot threes at a high clip, launching immediately with confidence, that off-ball stretch-five gravity could be too hard for the coaching staff to ignore with this group of downhill force playmakers.

Vucevic told me at Magic Media Day that he discussed his potential role with Sean Sweeney, "before I even signed, so I knew what to expect when I was coming in here."

This helps clear up expectations on both sides before Vooch even agreed to come to Orlando, where a role of spacing the floor, rebounding with effort, and making team-first passes was likely outlined.

Bitadze brings energy, shot-blocking, connective passing, and a rim-rolling presence where if he is properly motivated in the right role, his impact tends to stay very high, especially defensively.

Here's what Bitadze told me about his expected role under Sweeney:

Defensively, I need to be an anchor whenever I am in the game.

The last couple years, I have been a little bit on and off defensively some days, good, some days not great. So I think I need to be consistently really good.

I should be the loudest one because I see the floor. That is pretty much it.

Be a winner, that is what I always wanted. I cannot play the same way that I play with the National team. I do not look at it as that.

I just want to be a winner, keep winning games, stacking wins. When you are winning, everything feels good. Season goes by quicker, and it is easier to live it.Goga Bitadze

Orlando's best-case outcome from these big man battles probably looks like Carter bringing his all-around versatility to the starting unit with defensive fortitude and a capable catch-and-shoot jumper, with Vucevic splashing so many wide open threes he's fighting earnestly for near half of the minutes, and Bitadze ready to plug-and-play as a defensive anchor and team-first playmaker in any lineup.

Going against each other every day in practice only sharpens the iron a little more each day; and as the Eastern Conference gets more powerful around them by the minute, Orlando will need to be as sharp as can be.

Time's up, class. Put down your pencils; pick up your swords. It's time to go to basketball war.