The Magic keep getting better and have no plans for that trend to cease
Orlando Magic
Last season: 47-35, lost to Cleveland in first round of playoffs.
COACH: Jamahl Mosley (4th season, 103-143).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 23 at Miami.
DEPARTURES: G Markelle Fultz, F Joe Ingles, F Chuma Okeke.
ADDITIONS: G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G Cory Joseph, F Tristan Da Silva, G Ethan Thompson.
BetMGM championship odds: 40-1.
What to expect
Paolo Banchero is an All-Star, Franz Wagner is probably on his way to becoming one and the Magic kept most of its young and promising core intact while adding two key vets — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cory Joseph, both of whom have NBA championship rings. The Magic won 22 games in 2021-22, then increased that total by 12 in 2022-23, then increased that total by 13 more last season. And it’s not outside the realm of realistic possibility for the Magic to win even more this season. Defense was last season’s calling card and if the Magic figure out a way to score a little bit more, look out.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: Banchero is complete, one of only six players to average at least 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists last season. (The others: Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid.) The Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, just keep getting better and Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac are two of the better defenders in the league. The Magic were an NBA-best 40-1 last season when leading after three quarters, pulled off seven fourth-quarter comebacks (tied for ninth-most in the league) and were 38-10 when holding teams to 110 points or less (compared with 9-26 when giving up 111 points or more).
The not-so-good: There were just some nights where the Magic couldn’t score (8-24 when scoring 107 points or less) and in today’s NBA, that’s not going to cut it. And the second night of back-to-backs hurt Orlando, which lost 10 of 15 such games last season. Orlando also made an NBA-low 903 3-pointers last season, though with the addition of Caldwell-Pope expect that number to rise considerably.
Players to watch
The Wagner brothers are high-energy and are coming off back-to-back summers of playing with the German national team, helping them win the World Cup in 2023 and get to the medal round of this summer’s Paris Olympics. Caldwell-Pope and Joseph bring the veteran guidance the team needs, Banchero is a bonafide star, but the most underrated part of the Magic might be what Isaac and Suggs bring to the defensive end. This is a playoff team with room to grow.
