With KCP Out, Who Starts for Magic at the Lakers?

Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope popped up on the Magic's injury report Thursday afternoon, listed as out for personal reasons tonight ahead of the team's game versus the Lakers. Who will start in his place?

Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) drives past Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) as center Goga Bitadze (35) sets the screen during the second half at Kaseya Center. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is missing the team's Thursday night road game versus the Los Angeles Lakers due to personal reasons. Caldwell-Pope appeared on the Magic's 3:30 p.m. ET injury report Thursday afternoon.

Caldwell-Pope has started all 16 games for the Magic up until this point, averaging 6.9 points on 33.9 FG% and 22.9 3PT% shooting splits. He's also adding 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per outing. With him on the floor this year, the Magic are +2.5 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents according to Cleaning the Glass. According to Basketball Index's D-LEBRON metric, he and teammate Franz Wagner are the two best individual wing defenders in the NBA this season.

That said, there's nearly 30 extra minutes available in his absence tonight in Los Angeles. How should the Magic go about filling them? Let's look at some options:

The candidates to start

Gary Harris

The most plug-and-play option available is likely Gary Harris, who made 27 starts in 54 regular season games last season. Although replacing Caldwell-Pope's elite perimeter defense leaves big shoes to fill, Harris is still a marginally plus defender. In 16.5 minutes a game this season, he's averaging 3.4 points a game. However, he's scored in just seven of the 14 games he's appeared in this season.

That's not to mention that there's been two games where he's finished with a DNP – the second night of a back-to-back in Oklahoma City, and the second night of a back-to-back home versus the Pacers. He played just 4:25 in the second leg of the Magic's first back-to-back this season at Memphis, by far the fewest of any outing he's appeared in. Thursday night's contest is the second night of a back-to-back in LA.

Anthony Black

So if it isn't Harris, where could the Magic turn? Perhaps Anthony Black gets a look in the starting unit, which would be his second time starting this season – the other being at Cleveland in the first game of Paolo Banchero's absence.

Black is emerging with promise for the future in Orlando's second unit this year, averaging 9.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game in 25.1 minutes an outing. Although not starting, he's often been the first player off the Magic bench, as well as replacing Tristan da Silva with the rest of the first five in the closing stretches of games. Starting him alongside Jalen Suggs could give Orlando a glimpse at a possible long-term backcourt pairing. Would Black handle more point guard responsibilities and Suggs take on a more traditional two-guard's role? That we'd only find out if such a scenario plays out. Regardless, elevating Black from the second unit would ask for another bench guard to try and replicate his initiation with the second unit. So far this year, Black has been the only one consistently producing of the non-starting guards.

Jett Howard

Jett Howard could also get a starting look. He made one start in the preseason when Caldwell-Pope and several other veterans sat out in favor of offering more playing time to younger players, scoring 19 points. After the game, Howard said he felt 'comfortable' with the first unit. He's played in 15 of 16 games this season, averaging 4.2 points in 8.9 minutes a game.

Howard offers the most potential for instant offense, and his elevation from the fringe between the second and third unit could keep together the Magic's bench while spotting minutes with the first unit.

Jonathan Isaac

Orlando could also opt to go even bigger with is starting unit, inserting Jonathan Isaac into the starting lineup and letting Suggs and Franz handle the majority of the playmaking duties. Isaac hasn't started a game this year, but he's been steadily building up his share of minutes. Isaac is the Magic's ultimate defensive weapon, but his past injury history could make the franchise hesitant to overexert him in the early portion of the year. Isaac made a couple of starts at center in the playoffs last season.

Isaac is averaging 6.6 points a game on 49.2 FG% shooting. He's played 16.5 minutes per appearance this year, appearing in 13 of 16 games after a brief absence with a left hip contusion.

Caleb Houstan

Houstan has appeared in 10 games so far this season for the Magic but has only scored in two outings. The former second-round draft pick is in his third season with Orlando. Recently, he was sent down on assignment to Osceola for a one-game showing in order to give him some reps. In that outing, he started and scored 10 points with seven rebounds and seven assists to his name.

At 6-8 and 205 pounds, he can provide what the Magic would want as far as positional size. But his relative lack of in-game experience may be his biggest detractor to his case.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / David Richard-Imagn Images

As mentioned earlier, Caldwell-Pope accounts for nearly 30 minutes a night on the floor for the Magic. It's likely a combination of players also get some increased run in the aggregate, such as Cole Anthony or longer stints of Tristan da Silva on the floor. da Silva figures to start again for Banchero, who will miss his 11th consecutive game due to a torn right oblique.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

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• COULD BANCHERO RETURN BY CHRISTMAS?: Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero told ESPN's Marc Spears that he feels he could be back by Christmas from a torn right oblique muscle. CLICK HERE
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