Scott Skiles was part of the Magic’s inaugural team, played 5 seasons with the team and was Orlando’s coach in 2015.
The Orlando Magic have had a number of skilled passers throughout their 37 NBA seasons, from Scott Skiles and Anfernee Hardaway in the 1990s to Jameer Nelson and Steve Francis, among others.
Today we’re highlighting the players who have had the top five single season marks for assists per game in franchise history.
Scott Skiles – 1993, 9.4 APG
Skiles spent his rookie year with the Milwaukee Bucks after being selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. He then played two years with the Indiana Pacers before finding a home in Orlando ahead of the Magic’s 1989-90 inaugural season. At age 28 in 1992-93, Skiles dished out a career-best 9.4 assists to go along with averages of 15.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 78 games – all starts. It was the first time in seven seasons that ‘Spunk’ started every contest, a feat the 6-foot-1 guard achieved just twice in his 10-year career.
Scott Skiles – 1991, 8.4 APG
During the 1990-91 campaign – his second with the Magic – Skiles won the Most Improved Player award by averaging a career-best 17.2 points to go along with 3.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.1 steals across 79 appearances. At the time, the dimes were a career high for the LaPorte, Indiana native and nearly doubled the 4.8 APG he averaged the year prior. Skiles recorded 24 double-doubles and had six games in which he handed out 15 or more helpers, including a 22-point, career-high 30-assist performance.
Jameer Nelson – 2013, 7.4 APG
Nelson played 10 productive seasons for Orlando from 2004 to 2014, appearing in 651 total contests. Across 56 games in 2012-13, ‘Mighty Mouse’ posted career-highs in rebounds (3.7), assists (7.4) and steals (1.3) while pouring in 14.7 ppg. Following his departure from the organization, Nelson suited up for the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, and Detroit Pistons until his retirement in 2018. Through 14 years as a pro, he collected career averages of 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.9 steals over 878 appearances.
Scott Skiles – 1992, 7.3 APG
A year after being named MIP, Skiles averaged 14.1 points, 7.3 assists and 1.0 steals over 75 appearances. Over the course of his five years in Orlando, Skiles – also known as ‘Cagney’ – played in 384 games and made 285 starts, amassing averages of 12.9 ppg, 7.2 apg and 0.9 spg in a little over 31 minutes per night. During his 10 seasons in the league, Skiles also spent time with the Bucks, Pacers, Washington Bullets and Philadelphia 76ers before spending the 1996-97 campaign overseas.
Anfernee Hardaway – 1995, 7.2 APG
‘Penny’ Hardaway was the third overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, who immediately sent him to the Magic for Chris Webber in a draft-night trade. After finishing second in 1994 Rookie of the Year voting, Hardaway broke out with 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.7 steals across 77 contests in 1994-95. He was awarded a spot on the All-NBA First Team, finished 10th in MVP voting and was named an All-Star for the first of four consecutive seasons. Over the course of his six years in Orlando from 1993 to 1999, Hardaway put up 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.9 steals over 369 games. The versatile guard-forward also played for the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Miami Heat during his 14-year career.
