JAMES ENNIS THE -THE GUY THAT DEFINITELY DOES NOT MAKE THE MAGIC WORSE
By: Jonathan Alicea
Guess what? The Magic made a trade.
Guess what else? They acquired a player that provides much-needed depth.
I’ve seen people complain that somehow James Ennis makes the Magic worse. I’ve also seen people claim that the Magic gave up too much for Ennis. THAT IS NONSENSE. Sure, James Ennis isn’t someone who is going to magically lead the Magic to 50 wins, but you know what he will do? He’ll space the floor. Is he Kyle Korver? No. Is he JJ Redick? No. But his 34.9% from 3 would rank him 3rd on the team in 3pt% (Sorry, Melvin Frazier Jr doesn’t count).
James Ennis has a reputation as a 3&D type of player. Does his 3pt% leave a lot to be desired? Sure. But I 100000000% guarantee James Ennis stretches the floor a hell of a lot better than Khem Birch and Michael Carter Williams. You could argue he pulls more gravity than even Markelle Fultz right now. Defensively, he not Bruce Bowen or Danny Green or Jonathan Isaac, but he’s competent on that end of the floor. As of now, Ennis posts a defensive rating of 108, which would place him ahead of DJ Augustin, Terrence Ross, Khem Birch, Gary Clark, Evan Fournier, and BJ Johnson (who apparently is better than T-Mac). That 108 defensive rating actually ties him with Markelle Fultz and Aaron Gordon, two guys that many of us believe to be strong defensive players (USUALLY). All of that is good, right? These are the things we look for in a role player, no? So please someone explain to me how the Magic got worse by acquiring Mr. Ennis? Go find me on Twitter and let me know. I’ll wait.
But while I’m waiting, I also need to know how giving up the 59th pick in the draft is a terrible thing? Of the 49 players to have ever been selected with the 59th pick, only 10 have logged AT LEAST one minute in an NBA game. And of those 10, only two have appeared in AT LEAST 40 career games. So…. does anyone want to clarify what they meant when they said the Magic gave up too much? I really need to know. Seriously. I’m dying to know. (Literally. I’m on life support and the only way that I’ll survive is if someone gives me the information that I so desperately crave).
I have a friend named Brett. He’s a good, sensible and fair guy. Brett is a 76ers fan. What does that mean? It means that Brett got to watch James Ennis play 67 regular-season games and 11 playoff games in a 76er jersey. He probably knows a lot more about Ennis than any Magic fan, right? Here is what he had to say about James: “Ennis was loved around here because he was scrappy. One of the few guys that gave it his all.”
Does that not sound like someone you’d want on this team? A team that far too often gives up when the going gets hard? A team that oftentimes gets out-worked and out-hustled?
I say we give James Ennis a fair shot. We give him the same respect we gave MCW last year. I say we stop with the dramatic overreactions and think with our damn heads for once. Let’s be rational. Let’s focus on what James Ennis brings to the table instead of worrying about who he is not and who we didn’t trade. Is that too much to ask for?
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