I want to try and add a feature to the OPP Community that hasn't been here in the recent past. I'm going to put out weekly progress reports reflecting stats and comments about individual players on the roster from the prior week's slate of games. As a teacher, this is right up my alley!

In the comments section below, please feel free to agree or disagree with any of my assessments, or simply just let me know if this is something that might be interesting to read on a week to week basis. Enjoy!

Week 7 Schedule - 12/17 (@Boston), 12/19 (vs. Utah), 12/21 (vs. Philadelphia)

Tobias Harris (3 GP), Grade: B+

MPG PPG REB AST TO STL FG% 3P% FT% 36 19.3 4 3 2.3 2 45 35 (5-14) 90 (9-10)

Tobias played very respectably in his match-ups this week opposite Jeff Green and Gordon Hayward, holding his own against two versatile forwards who operate on the perimeter. While his +/- Saturday night was positive (+13), Harris couldn't seem to throw the ball in the ocean in a somewhat favorable match-up. Making matters worse, Harris was only able to get to the FT line once Saturday. I love Tobias's assist numbers from Week 7, but I would have expected him to help out more on the boards. His grade was docked accordingly.

Nikola Vucevic (3 GP), Grade: A-

MPG PPG REB AST FG% FT% 34 17.6 13 3 53 50 (3-6)

Nik continued to put up very solid counting statistics (Points, Rebounds) in Week 7. To the naked eye, averaging a double-double for the week makes Nik one of the last culprits to blame for Orlando's lack of recent success. To a certain extent I agree with that sentiment, but there are definitely aspects of Vucevic's game that he can improve upon. Nik must get to the FT line more than six times in a three-game period, that number is pretty astounding. Vucevic has also seemed to lose some steam protecting the rim compared to his production earlier in the year (1 block in Week 7). Derrick Favors was a very difficult matchup for Nik; he seemed to struggle mightily keeping up with Favors' athleticism. Let's not forget however, Nik missed some time this month due to a balky back.

Victor Oladipo (3 GP), Grade: C-





MPG PPG REB AST TO STL FG% 3P% FT% 34 10.6 2.6 3.6 2 1.3 41 28 (2-7) 67 (2-3)

What goes up must come down. We all knew the three week shooting hot-streak that Victor was on was not sustainable. Oladipo came back down to earth hard in Boston, and things just got worse Friday night against the Jazz. Victor had one of his best games of the year against the Jazz in Salt Lake City, but the second time around in Orlando was probably the worst performance of his career. He literally could do nothing right. Victor took care of the basketball much better in Week 7, so that's a plus. A very strong shooting night Saturday by Oladipo saved his weekly grade, the numbers could have been even worse. Continuing the frightful trend that cripples this roster, Oladipo was only able to get to the FT line once in a combined 64 minutes against the Celtics and Jazz (ouch!).

Evan Fournier (3 GP), Grade: B+





MPG PPG REB AST TO FG% 3P% FT% 33 16.6 2.3 3 2 43 46 (7-15) 53 (7-13)

Evan played very steady in Week 7. His production across the board compares very well with his yearly and career averages. Fournier was able to connect from behind the arc seven times in Week 7 (46%). I wasn't shocked that JV tinkered with the starting lineup Saturday night, but I was a little surprised that it was Evan that was replaced. I actually agree with the move, and I think long-term that Fournier projects very well as a 6th man/primary scorer off the bench. Evan's defensive deficiencies won't be magnified as much playing against 2nd unit players; I actually envision a role on this roster similar to what Hedo Turkoglu provided for the Magic available to Evan. My only concern with Fournier coming off the bench is that he must still receive around 30+ MPG (27 minutes Saturday night, but a little foul trouble & -16 +/- as well).

Elfrid Payton (3 GP), Grade: B-





MPG PPG REB AST TO FG% FT% 29 6 3 7 2.3 42 50 (2-4)

Elfrid was in line to receive a very solid grade in Week 7. Payton kept Orlando in the game Friday night, recording his first career double-double (11/11). His quality play recently forced Coach Vaughn's hand a bit, and Payton found himself back in the starting lineup Saturday night. But he is a rookie, and he reminded us all of that in a big way against the Sixers. 35 minutes, 0-7 from the field, 1 point, and numerous defensive struggles against Michael Carter-Williams. One average game, one amazing game, and one god awful performance in Week 7; such is the life of a 20 year old rookie PG in the NBA. Payton did post a 7:2 A/TO ratio for the week, which improved his already rookie-best 2.2 A/TO ratio for the season.

Kyle O'Quinn (3 GP), Grade: A-

MPG PPG REB AST TO BLK FG% FT% 24 8.6 5.6 1 1.6 1.6 53 85 (6-7)

Solid from the field, good scoring efficiency and rebounding numbers. Mix in a few steals and some blocks. Just what you would expect from Kyle in Week 7. I will be interested to see moving forward how Coach Vaughn decides O'Quinn is best used, coming off the bench as the defensive anchor of the 2nd unit or starting as the other big opposite Nik Vucevic.

Channing Frye (3 GP), Grade: B-





MPG PPG REB STL BLK FG% 3P% 23 8.6 3.6 1 1 39 50 (6-12)

I understand why Channing Frye was taken out of the starting lineup towards the end of Week 7. Defensively, Frye is a turnstile (see Sullinger, Bass, Kanter, and Sims numbers from Week 7). Let's face it, Nik Vucevic is not being taken out of the lineup at anytime moving forward. Yet, it makes things difficult on the defensive end to play Vucevic and Frye together in the frontcourt for long stretches at a time (does 35+ minutes/game qualify as a long stretch?). Basically, Frye contributes 2-3 3PT makes per game, and that's about it. I don't think playing 20-25 MPG off the bench will affect his contributions, but it just may help the team defensively in the long run.

Head Coach - Jacque Vaughn, Grade: F

When a team is playing really well, it's the players that get all the credit. When a team is really struggling, you guessed it...the coach gets all the blame. That's the nature of the job. Coach Vaughn's team didn't do their coach any favors wrapping up one of his worst weeks as a coach by losing at home to the least talented team in the NBA. Vaughn and his staff have to head back to the proverbial drawing board and figure out some combinations and lineups that work better than others. Will coach commit to playing Victor in his natural position? Will Vaughn go small, playing Fournier at the SF and Harris at the PF positions moving forward? Does Vaughn prefer O'Quinn in the starting lineup or coming off the bench? Maybe more importantly, what's going on with the effort and intensity, which was severely lacking this week in all three match-ups? Coaching is not just about X's and O's. These players individually have performed at high-levels at various moments of the season. It's Coach Vaughn's job to develop sustainable chemistry, and align the individual successes more consecutively to the point where players are playing well off each other (opposed to despite one another).

Grade of INCOMPLETE:

Dewayne Dedmon (Lack of minutes)

Ben Gordon (Lack of minutes)

Willie Green (Lack of minutes)

Maurice Harkless (Lack of minutes)

Devyn Marble (Lack of minutes, NEEDS TO BE ASSIGNED TO ERIE - am I right?)

Andrew Nicholson (Lack of minutes)

Luke Ridnour (Lack of minutes)

Aaron Gordon (Injured foot)





