| Magic's Milicic Eyes More Minutes, Shots |
By John Denton
The Orlando Magic - and the rest of the basketball world, for that matter - are finally getting to see why the Detroit Pistons selected Darko Milicic with the second overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft.
Granted, the 7-foot Serbian hasn't come anywhere near reaching the superstar heights of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh- players drafted behind Milicic - but little by little, he is starting to display the kind of hard-to-find skills that have the Magic downright giddy.
Finally free from being buried on the Detroit bench, Milicic has blossomed into somewhat of a defensive force for the Magic. He's blocked 10 shots the past two games and 29 in his 12 games in Orlando - more than he ever did in any of his 2½ seasons in Detroit.
His 83 points (6.9 ppg), 56 rebounds (4.7 rpg) and 14 assists (0.6 apg) are also career highs for the 20-year-old power forward. Finally given a taste of success in his most extensive playing time yet, Milicic is already pushing for Magic coach Brian Hill to give him more minutes and especially more touches on the offensive end of the floor.
"I know what I can do. Coach understands that I'm new here and he's learning what I can do," Milicic said. "Like (Wednesday night), I play 25 minutes and have three shots. Three shots in 25 minutes is strange to me. (Hill) said he understands and he's going to give me more balls in the post. He's still trying to learn about me and how best to use me."
Orlando (23-41) took a gamble on the unproven Milicic on Feb. 15, trading Kelvin Cato and a future first-round pick to Detroit for the power forward and point guard Carlos Arroyo.
Milicic has been mostly a pleasant surprise, passing the ball and blocking shots far better than the Magic anticipated. As expected, he's shown tremendous shooting range, something that complements Dwight Howard's back-to-the-basket game down low. Attacking the basket, rebounding in traffic and holding his position against stronger foes are specific areas in which the Magic are looking for improvement.
"This is all stuff that we're finding out about him," Hill said, referring to the fact that Milicic played mostly mop-up time while in Detroit. "Nobody other than the Pistons really had a feeling for what he could do, but we're starting to see it now."
Milicic has played a major role in helping the Magic, winners of three of the past four games, become a markedly improved defensive team. He swatted five shots Monday against Indiana and had five of Orlando's season-high 11 blocks in Wednesday's overtime victory against Utah.
Most of Milicic's blocks have come at point-blank range. Twice on Wednesday he thwarted dunk attempts by Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur with powerful blocks. Part of his success is due to his 7-foot, 5-inch wingspan, one that compares favorably to the 7-foot, 8-inch wingspan of Howard's.
Whereas Howard can jump higher, Milicic is often quicker off the floor. That has allowed him to get multiple back-to-back blocks and other swats right at the rim.
If his 2.42 blocks average in the 12 games with the Magic were projected over a full season, he would rank seventh in the NBA. That would put him ahead of the likes of former Pistons teammate Ben Wallace (2.19), Tim Duncan (1.98), Shaquille O'Neal (1.73) and Howard (1.47).
"It's just something that comes natural to me," said Milicic, who blocked 10 shots in an international game this past summer. "It comes natural if you have a feeling for it. You have to know when to jump and when to stay on the ground, stuff like that."
Remarkably, the 245-pound Milicic said he rarely, if ever, lifted weights while in Detroit and playing with Wallace, a workout fiend. The Magic were able to bulk Howard up from 240 to 265 in two years, and they hope to do the same this summer with Milicic.
"He needs to work on increasing his strength and stamina," Hill said. "He needs to do more (lifting weights) to become more of a presence in the low post."
Used courtesy of: USA Today |
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