Today we look at the Orlando Magic, a young team that is on the rise in the Eastern Conference
The best time to be a fan of a team is when they are competing for championships every year. I would argue that not far behind that is when you are watching a young team that is building towards being a contender, and that is where Orlando Magic fans find themselves this off-season. The Magic are coming off their best season since 2010-11, going 47-35 and taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games. Orlando won with defense last season, ranking second in the NBA in defensive rating. Offensively, the Magic were one of the worst shooting teams in the league. They ranked 24th in three point shooting, 26th in free throw percentage, and 24th in points scored. So how does this team take the next step?
The Magic saw how overextended their young star Paolo Banchero was in the playoffs and realized that they needed to surround him with more shooting. They did this in free agency, by bringing in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Denver on a three year $66 million contract. Caldwell-Pope is coming off a season with Denver where he shot 40% from three on over four attempts per game. He walks in and is instantly the best three point shooter on the roster. He also brings with him championship pedigree, having won titles previously with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
His experience will prove beneficial because the Magic are a very young team. Five of the core rotation players for the Magic (Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr, and Cole Anthony) are under 25 years old. This is a team that is growing up in real time, and adding a veteran presence that knows what winning playoff basketball looks like is essential. The tactic for the team outside of Caldwell-Pope has been to simply retain younger players hoping that their maturity will equate to an upgrade over last season.
The Magic gave out extensions to Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bitadze, Gary Harris, and (perhaps most importantly) Franz Wagner. The message that the Magic have sent this off-season is that this is a franchise centered around the development of Banchero and Wagner. Wagner is coming off an interesting third season. He increased his shot attempts and as a result, averaged a career-high 19.7 points per game. On the other hand, his three point efficiency was much lower on similar attempts. He went from a 36% shooter in 2022-23 to a woeful 28% last season. This dip didn't faze the Magic though as they extended Wagner to a rookie max extension at five years and $224 million. Wagner has still shown to be a very capable second option, and if you are a Magic fan you are hoping for a bounce back shooting season and that the addition of Caldwell-Pope will create better spacing for Wagner.
Paolo Banchero is the other piece of the Magic equation. The second year player had a breakout season, being named to his first All-Star team. Banchero has solidified himself as an emerging superstar, the face of the franchise, and a core building block of a championship contender. He averaged 22.6 points per game last season, increased his three point percentage 4% with higher volume, and showed that he can be a capable playmaker for the Magic on offense. He also increased his defensive intensity with upticks in defensive win shares and defensive rebounding percentages. In Banchero, the Magic have hit on a number one overall pick yet again.
The point guard position is still one that is somewhat up in the air for Orlando. Former number one overall pick Markelle Fultz is likely not going to be retained, leaving the job to either Cole Anthony or Jalen Suggs. Suggs had a breakout year as well last season as a defender. The third year guard out of Gonzaga made the All-Defensive 2nd team and even received some votes for defensive player of the year. If he is ready to become the teams starting point guard remains unclear but a lot of his growing pains could be remedied by the fact that both Banchero and Wagner can initiate the offense when needed.
Defense will continue to be a priority for the Magic, and it is how head coach Jamahl Mosley wants his team to play. This is evident in the team's priority to re-sign Jonathan Isaac, who has had injury issues in Orlando, missing two full seasons while recovering from an ACL injury. But he played in 58 games last season and could be considered as one of the most versatile wing defenders in the entire NBA. With elite size and athleticism, Isaac is big enough to guard frontcourt players, while still being able to switch onto more shifty guards with ease. If he can stay relatively healthy, the Magic will be a nightmare to play against.
The Magic are tweaking a formula that worked for them last season. They are young and are being patient with their star players. It remains to be seen if this is a true championship contender as of now, but they are certainly playing the part well and have positioned themselves for an elevation by drafting phenomenally well in the lottery over the last seven seasons. They are a team that is coming, and their goal should be to win a playoff series and ensure that both Banchero and Wagner are conditioned for the long playoff runs that lay ahead of them. This coming season, I would expect the Magic to hover once again around the 4 or 5 seed spot in the East, and be a complete handful for whatever team has the misfortune of having to play them in the first round.
Comments