Rolling out talked exclusively to Pat Williams, who is senior vice president of the Orlando Magic. Williams has a lot of experience in the NBA, having worked for the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. Williams talked about the Magic roster and the young team they will send out on the court for the 2014-2015 season.
“Well, we’re doing the right thing. We are building with young players and we do have a young team,” Williams said.
Indeed, as the Magic have no player over the age of 33, and, with the addition of Aaron Gordon and Dario Saric, selected with the 4th and 12th picks in the 2014 NBA Draft, the team has 13 players under control who are 25 or younger. “That’s the decision we’ve made, to build patiently through the draft. Give them time. You can’t expect miracles with youngsters,” Williams said.
Williams also talked about one of the young players, Tobias Harris, who averaged 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds last season, on and off the court. “A+’s on both fronts. He’s a terrific guy. Well raised, great family. You couldn’t have a better person. In the year and a half that we’ve had him, he has done terrifically well. He’s an NBA player, no question about it, and he’s going to do nothing but get better. He’s still very young, so we’re glad we have him. He’s a big part of our future, no question,” he said.
With a talented young core, the Magic are still struggling to overcome the loss of Dwight Howard, but they seem to have turned the corner, and could be one of the biggest surprises in the 2014-2015 NBA season, thanks to the work of Pat Williams and his staff.
