Magic Preseason Profile: Breakout Year for R.J. Hampton?

The Orlando Magic face an interesting dilemma with its guards. R.J. Hampton will be in the mix for a lot of minutes, but what will he do with them?

Jeremy Brener | Oct 8, 2022

Magic Preseason Profile: Breakout Year for R.J. Hampton? /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - R.J. Hampton is entering his third NBA season, and things may be slowing down for the 21-year-old Orlando Magic guard.

After being traded in the middle of his rookie year, Hampton has been forced to adapt to a slew of different twists and turns throughout his career. But for the first time since his senior year of high school, Hampton's basketball is keeping him in the same city as the year before. Perhaps the familiarity could lead to promising results.

Let's take a look back at what Hampton was able to produce last year, as well as what we can look forward to seeing this season.

2021-22 Season Review

Hampton played primarily off the bench in 64 games for the Magic last season, averaging 7.6 points while shooting 35 percent from beyond the three-point line. He would usually be the first guard off the bench, but also saw consistent minutes because injuries plagued every member of the Magic backcourt.

Outside of Mo Bamba, Franz Wagner and Gary Harris, Hampton was the team's best three-point shooter. It just didn't seem like the volume was there in terms of finding Hampton looks on the perimeter.

2022-23 Season Preview

This season, Hampton might creep his way into the starting lineup after injuries to Markelle Fultz, Harris and Jalen Suggs. The Magic need Hampton to step up in multiple ways, including his three-point shooting and playmaking abilities.

This is a big year for Hampton in terms of his future in Orlando. Should he improve, he may net himself a spot in the Magic's rotation long term. If not, he could have one foot out before he approaches free agency.

The Magic need to decide by the end of the month whether to exercise his club option for next season. If the Magic decide not to exercise that option, he'll be a free agent at the end of the season with an unknown future in the NBA.

However, the good news for Hampton is that he will have that opportunity to prove himself as long as he stays healthy.

Check out our other Magic preseason player profiles you might have missed so far:

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Published Oct 8, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.