Pruiti: How will former Spur Jacque Vaughn influence Orlando’s offense?

When Jacque Vaughn agreed to the Orlando Magic head coaching job, he did so on the likely presumption that he would inherit a league-average offense without their star big man.

Dwight Howard was the center of their attack and the entire offense will need to be tended to account for the additions of Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Moe Harkless and Nikola Vucevic. Vaughn told the Orlando Sentinel that he wouldn’t confine his system to one style, though, opting to put his players into their optimal spots on the floor.

“I don’t think I’ll pigeonhole myself into a certain style … I’ve been kind of inclusive about the different styles     I’ve played against. Coach [Jerry] Sloan had a style that he used for 20 years. Pop [Gregg Popovich] has     been extremely innovative … For me, it’s about putting guys in a position to make plays. I will not call a play     every single time down the floor.”

But founder of NBAPlaybook.com and breakdown extraordinaire Sebastian Pruiti speculates that Orlando will attempt to create more corner 3-point looks this season, emblematic of San Antonio’s style.

“(San Antonio) is always looking to put someone in the corner, fill that space, and then get them the ball, at     times even passing up open shots from the wing to do so. Who is going to fill that Danny Green role for     Orlando? Arron Afflalo … If Vaughn wants the Magic to run a Spurs-like offense where they focus on     shooting more corner 3s, getting Afflalo back for Howard does make sense. Throughout his career, Afflalo     has been a fantastic 3-point shooter, knocking down over 40 percent of his 3s every year since his rookie     season. Last season, while that number dropped to 39.8 percent, Afflalo was still money from the corner.”

Pruiti noted that San Antonio’s judicious shot selection wouldn’t have made as much sense with Howard in the fold. That is because his post game requires space and if the Magic shooters stopped shooting open shots regardless of their distance from the hoop, they were not contributing to the offense. Stan Van Gundy’s four-out, one-in formula did not require much ball movement either which will likely change this season under Vaughn.

Photo courtesy of MagicBasketball.net