Behind The Magic Series Part 2: Chucky Atkins Reflects on His Orlando Magic Journey and How He’d Unlock Paolo Banchero

WRITTEN BY: CRAIG LARSON

Our second installment features none other than Chucky Atkins, a homegrown talent who, after going undrafted, persevered and ultimately began his NBA career in Orlando. We began by discussing his journey to the league.

Q: How did you keep the dream alive? You had to play in the CBA, overseas and everything in between.

Atkins: You know, being around some of those guys, I knew I was capable of playing in the NBA. In the CBA, I was playing against older guys. Snoop Graham, Elmer Bennett, Lloyd Daniels — all of those guys were really good. I had success against those guys, so mentally I knew I could make it because they had played in the league. It was a great learning experience for me. So many of those guys were getting called up on 10-day contracts. My goal was to just get there and stay there.

Q: So the moment arrives and you join the Orlando Magic. What was that moment like?

Atkins: It was so surreal. I grew up a Magic fan. I grew up watching Penny Hardaway and Dennis Scott. I hung out with Dee Brown. Being from Orlando, that’s all I knew.

Q: The timing worked out really well for you.

Atkins: Penny Hardaway had just been traded to the Phoenix Suns. The only guard who remained was Darrell Armstrong. They had just drafted Louis Bullock and Miles Simon. Those guys were good players, but they were rookies. I had two years of professional experience, so it gave me an advantage over them. Doc Rivers really liked what he saw in me, and he told me I’d be the backup point guard. I was finally going to get an opportunity to play once the season started on the biggest stage. I knew I belonged.

Q: What did you like most about playing for Doc Rivers?

Atkins: I loved that he believed in me so much. He allowed me to play my style of basketball. He didn’t plug me into a system where I had to play a role. He told me to do what I do best.

Q: I spent time around Doc in the media. Those practices weren’t exactly a picnic.

Atkins: I remember one time he was getting after Corey Maggette and me really hard. I think Doc woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. That day, we hadn’t done anything wrong. Corey and Doc almost came to blows, and he was going to throw Corey out of practice. Once it was over, Corey and I got called into his office. He explained why he rode us so hard. He told us what he saw in us and what he expected when we got into the game. He told me to be aggressive with the ball. He wanted 12 points a night from me, and he didn’t care how often I shot. He told me to pretend I was playing at the Smith Center in Marion County. That told me right there that he had done his homework on me. He knew where I had played at the local recreation center. During my rookie season, I was one of the top fourth-quarter scorers in the entire league.

Q: If you were playing with Paolo Banchero today, how would you best utilize his game?

Atkins: As a point guard, I would run a lot of pick-and-rolls. The defense would have to make a decision on who they were going to guard. The Magic have the roster to be a championship team, but they have to tweak some of what they’re running. In the fourth quarter, you need to have four or five go-to scoring plays. I haven’t seen that from them in recent years.

Q: Game 6 against Detroit still stings all these weeks later.

Atkins: I was at that game. We were up by 22 points. They missed all of those shots. When you have a guy like Paolo Banchero, who’s 270 pounds, you can’t be shooting all of those 3-pointers. He’s the most imposing figure on the court. At some point, he has to post up and get closer to the basket. That said, it’s also unfair to ask Paolo and Franz to average 60 points between the two of them for you to win. The bench has to do more. The bench needs to deliver 30 to 40 points.

Q: As a former point guard, who do you think is the best in the league right now?

Atkins: So many of these guys are much more skilled than we were. We all just witnessed what Jalen Brunson did. It was amazing. I think Kyrie Irving is the most skilled basketball player I’ve ever seen. Even Shai — what he does at 6-foot-6 as a point guard is incredible. I like watching all of those guys, and I’m excited to see what Damian Lillard looks like when he comes back. The list goes on and on.

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Craig Larson Jr.

 Craig Larson Jr. is a freelance contributor for 1010XL. Craig has been covering professional and collegiate sports for media outlets since 1990. He’s attended 17 Super Bowls, 11 Final Fours, 5 World Series, along with multiple Kentucky Derbies, Championship Fights and All-Star Games.