Mickael Pietrus

Pietrus has been a valuable reserve over the last two seasons, but he will join the Magic’s starting lineup this year following the departure of Matt Barnes. Pietrus will be the last option on offense in the Magic’s starting five, but his numbers should increase with additional playing time. He hit a career-high 116 three-pointers last season and has averaged just over one turnover per game in his career, so he will have some value as long as he can average double figures in the scoring department.

Pietrus is slated to begin the season as Orlando's starting small forward. He played a complimentary role in his first season with the Magic but will likely see his minutes expand due to the departure of Hedo Turkoglu. Pietrus is a threat from downtown and is a good perimeter defender, two things that Orlando does not have much of. Don't be surprised if Brandon Bass moves into the starting lineup at some point during the season, moving Rashard Lewis to the three, but consider Pietrus the team's top small forward for the time being.

Pietrus signed with the Magic this off-season after spending the first five seasons of his career with Golden State. His playing time diminished last season, so it's not surprising that he moved on to a new opportunity. Pietrus will begin the season as the starting shooting guard, but he'll still be fighting for minutes with Keith Bogans and several younger players. Pietrus put up decent numbers two seasons ago with the Warriors and has the potential to average double-digits in points; but as Orlando's fifth offensive option, he likely won't be more than a role player.

Pietrus is still unsigned as of press time. The leading contenders for his services appear to be his old team, the Warriors, and the Miami Heat – though the longer the process drags on, the more likely it seems Pietrus will end up back in Oakland. He’d probably have more upside as a member of the Heat, where he could take Dwyane Wade’s starting spot when the season opens or challenge Dorrell Wright for the starting job at small forward; with the Warriors he’ll probably come off the bench most of the time. Draft him for his potential, his leaping ability and his increasingly-reliable shooting from downtown – but plan to live with sporadic playing time and lousy (for a guard) free-throw shooting.

Pietrus seemed ready for a breakout season last year, but the athletic 6-6 forward only played 52 games due to injury and only averaged 9.3 points in 22.7 minutes per night. Warriors Coach Don Nelson has already hinted that Pietrus needs to shoot less (40.4 FG% last year) and focus more on defense. Pietrus will be starting at small forward this year for the Warriors, but don’t expect must offensive production out of Pietrus unless fellow starters Mike Dunleavy and Jason Richardson go down with injuries.

Taken by the Warriors with the 11th pick in the 2003 draft, Pietrus emerged late last year as a force off of the bench. He put up 28 points against the Suns last April making 9 of 11 shots and all six of his 3 point attempts. Five games later, he scored 25 points against the Lakers making 8 of 11 shots including 4 three's. Consistent minutes are the key for Pietrus, as he averaged 15 points in games that he played more than 25 minutes last year. At 6-6, he has the ability to play both shooting guard and small forward and will start the season as the Golden State's sixth man.

Pietrus saw significant action after the All-Star break last year, averaging 20.7 minutes per game. He’s an aggressive player, plays tough defense (2.1 spg) and runs the floor well, but needs to work on his shot (41.5% FG). He’ll be in the rotation, but his role has yet to be clearly determined.

Pietrus got a good look in the final 24 games (20.8 mpg, 8.7 ppg, 44.1% FG, 2.8 3PA) last season, and was part of the final push in which the team finished 12-5. He should get more playing time in 2004-05, but is behind Jason Richardson (37.8 mpg) at shooting guard. He's a very agressive defender -- something Richardson is not -- but struggles with consistency in his shot.