Roy Devyn Marble signs three-year deal with Orlando Magic: Analysis

Roy Devyn Marble, the 56th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, has signed a three-year deal with the Orlando Magic, according to a release by the team.

"The Orlando Magic have signed rookie guard Devyn Marble, General Manager Rob Hennigan announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed. The draft rights to Marble (56th overall pick), along with Evan Fournier, were acquired from Denver in exchange for Arron Afflalo on June 26."

The first season of Marble’s contract will be fully guaranteed, while the final two are non-guaranteed. Marble will make about $885,000 in his first NBA season.

Marble, who goes by “Devyn,” was an excellent performer for the Hawkeyes last season, finishing up his career as a first-team All-Big Ten selection and leading Iowa to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006. He was also one of only two Big Ten players since 1985-86 to amass 1,675+ points, 375+ assists, 450+ rebounds and 175+ steals, according to the Iowa Athletics website. It’s also worth mentioning that despite being a four-year player at Iowa, Marble doesn’t turn 22 until right before the season begins. This was not a 23 year-old player dominating younger competition.

As far as Marble’s NBA potential goes, it will come down to his shooting ability. His ability to get into the lane is well-established at this point, but he doesn’t have a great in-between game right now. He’s at his best when he’s either going all the way to the rim, where he finished at a 60% clip this season, or when he’s making plays for others in the lane because he can’t get to the rim. Developing that in-between mid-range game will give him more options, which will put defenders off-balance.

However, to get to that point he’ll actually need to get into the lane. Marble’s a solid athlete with above-average ball-handling skills, but he’s not really elite in either regard. To compensate for that, improving his long-range jumper should also be on his to-do list. He shot 35% this season from three, particularly excelling on the right wing. However, his shot is pretty flat and might struggle to translate. Ironing that out will force defenses to play up on him more, which will help him get into the paint.

I think he can develop those skills. However, I’m a bit less optimistic on his fit in Orlando though. Given that Orlando doesn’t have a great amount of spacing, I can see teams packing the paint against them when Channing Frye and Ben Gordon are off the floor. Gordon and Marble play the same position, so it’s unlikely they will be on the floor together often. Therefore, his success or failure might hinge upon how many minutes he’s able to get with Frye. Frye’s ability to clear the lane out and force a big man to the perimeter would be extremely beneficial to Marble’s game.

Something else worth considering is that there is a massive logjam in the Orlando backcourt right now, so Marble may struggle to find any minutes at all. Not only will Victor Oladipo most likely slide over to his rightful place as a shooting guard, but the Magic have also brought in Gordon, Willie Green, and Evan Fournier this offseason. Five shooting guards on one team is a lot, so it’s possible the Magic may be considering playing Marble as a big backup point guard at times, which is the position he mostly played at Iowa. I don’t buy his distribution skills as a point guard, but he could work there as a nice change-of-pace from the frenetic Elfrid Payton. With Gordon and Green expiring next season, that will open up some time for him at both guard spots if he can play well in limited minutes this season.

Marble’s slashing game has a shot to work in the NBA, but like many players of his stature he’ll be dependent on who he gets minutes with and how the roster in front of him shakes out.