Limited in their financial flexibility to keep him, the Nuggets therefore ultimately lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The latter left Denver to join Orlando. It therefore went from a champion team in 2023 and which aims for the title every season to an ambitious team in the Eastern Conference.
What were his motivations and how did he make this decision? “First of all, I always put my family first. The most important thing is to put myself and my family in a good position.”responds the rear to The Athletic.
Then, the player talks about his discussions with his agent and the teams concerned. He then looks for the one where he thinks the graft will take best, where he can “have an immediate impact”. “I don’t want to be underestimated. Orlando recognized my value”further details “KCP”. “As soon as free agency started, Orlando was one of the first teams to contact me. It touched me. »
The Magic approached Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and if the latter gave in to the sirens of the Florida franchise, it was to “its young hard core”.
“They kept most of their players from last season. This core has confidence in itself. Watching them play, we see that everyone is not thinking about themselves. Everyone makes sacrifices. For a young team to progress so quickly means a lot. It made my decision easier”indicates the double NBA champion (2020, 2023).
Defend and offer spaces to others
Additionally, the Magic are a solid defensive lineup – “where everyone likes to defend” – and that’s good, it’s one of the former Lakers’ specialties.
“It was one of the best defenses in the league and that’s what I like”he recalls. “It’s easy for me to arrive, adapt and not step on anyone’s toes. The young people talk about defense and I slip in what I see and what they don't see. Everyone is hungry to learn. »
And on offense, how will this solid shooter (41.5% 3-point success over his two seasons in Colorado) fit in with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner?
“I'm going to try to give them easy shots, so they don't lose energy offensively. At the end of the match, they will have the ball, so the job of the teammates is to make their lives easier. I want Banchero to see this window. It will have a small window, which can become larger,” details Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who draws on his experience to help the young Magic. “I won two titles with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and we always talk about spacing. They emphasized that. The better our spacing, the stronger our attack will be. The more spaces we have, the more difficult it will be to defend against us. »
