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Magic's Justin Harper adjusting to small forward

Orlando Magic forward Justin Harper is still adjusting to playing the small forward position. How has he been adjusting to the move?

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

Orlando Magic forward Justin Harper has been used sparingly in the preseason. He logged only five minutes in the preseason opener last Sunday and didn't play at all in Thursday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Harper practiced and played at power forward last season and has been training at small forward this year.

The 6'9 Harper says that one of the biggest adjustments he has had to make in switching to small forward is learning how to move off the ball and positioning on the floor, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel:

"In practice, I'm just trying to get as many reps in as possible," Harper said.

"I think I'm starting to get a lot more comfortable with being able to play both [positions]."

Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn has been impressed with how Harper has trained in the offseason and how he has been learning the new position:

"He's done an amazing job with his body, and he's continuing to learn," Vaughn said. "It's tough to learn both positions. It's honestly tough. It's a different mindset being an outside guy to an inside guy. But he's done a good job."

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