In 2022, the Orlando Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery for the 4th time in franchise history. It was believed by many that they would draft Jabari Smith Jr., a forward from Auburn, instead, at the last second, they decided to throw a curveball and take Paolo Banchero, a forward from Duke. It was the right choice as Banchero had an awesome rookie season averaging 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game last season. Pairing Banchero with 2021 number 8 pick, Franz Wagner seems like it is going to create one of the dynamic duo’s in the league for Orlando.
The Magic had a bad start to last season beginning the season 5-20. They finished the season at 34-48, meaning they were 29-28 to finish last season. Over their last 57 games of the season, the Magic played at a .509 winning percentage, which would have been good enough for 8th in the Eastern Conference last season. If you take out Orlando’s last 4 games of the season, they lost all 4, they would have been .547, good enough for 7th in the East. That does not feel great but for a team that lost 20 of its first 25 games, that is very exciting. Wagner is an awesome running mate for Banchero as well, averaging 18.6 points on shooting splits of .48/.36/.84. He is very efficient and will continue to get more so, which is key for the Magic considering Paolo’s struggles from 3 last season, just 30%. A big part of Orlando’s turnaround last season was when they got to add Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris into their starting 5, as both players missed the beginning of the season. The starting 5 of Fultz, Harris, Wagner, Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. had a net rating of 1.4 in 570 minutes played together. Simply taking Harris off the court and adding Bol Bol, now with the Suns, they had a net rating of -6.7 in 193 minutes. Though one is a much smaller sample size, you can see the difference even adding Harris makes. Hence why the Magic drafted the 2 players that they did.
With the 6th pick in the NBA Draft, the Magic selected Anthony Black, a point guard from Arkansas. Black is a long and athletic guard who as described by NBADraftRoom.com is a “solid athlete with a big frame who can play above the rim and has sneaky quickness.” Though, like Banchero, the 3 pointer is not there quite yet, the length, athleticism, quicknees, and passing ability make me very excited about his outlook in the NBA. With the 11th pick, Orlando selected Jett Howard, Juwan Howard’s son, who is a 6’8” swingman from Michigan. Howard shot 37% from 3 point land last season and with his 6’8” height and 6’9” wingspan, Howard has the making of a great 3 and D player. There was a lot of criticism for what Orlando did in the draft but when you break down their roster and what worked for Head Coach Jamahl Mosley last season, you can see why Orlando drafted Black and Howard.
Orlando’s depth is something that is intriguing to me. Let’s start with Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs. There is no way Orlando keeps both of them long term, and it would not surprise me if neither ends up being a part of the Magic’s long term future. Markelle Fultz is good and even after the mess in Philadelphia, he has turned himself into a good NBA player who just turned 25 at the end of May. I know he is on an expiring contract but both Anthony and Suggs are coming up soon too so I think the Magic should sign Fultz before they sign either of the other 2 guys. As a result, do not be surprised if those guys end up on different teams at some point in the not-so distant future. Jonathan Isaac simply never plays basketball. When he is on the court, Isaac is an elite defensive player, DPOY good, but if he is not on the court, he can’t help the Magic win games, thus he is not helping the Magic win games. Caleb Houston is a player I am going to keep an eye on this season as well, he is 6’8” and was 34% from 3 last season. He has the tools of a good 3 and D player.
Wendell Carter Jr. is a good basketball player and he has blossomed since he was traded to the Magic as a part of the Nikola Vucevic trade, a deal that is a huge part of the reason Orlando is in the good spot they are in. Since the trade to the Magic, in 141 games, 134 starts, Carter Jr. has averaged 14.6 points and 9.5 rebounds a game and has also become the anchor of Orlando’s defense. The Vucevic trade has set up the Magic in a way that no one could have seen coming. 2 of Orlando’s key starters are on the team because of that deal with Carter Jr., who was obviously a part of the package, and Franz Wagner, who was drafted using the Bulls 2021 that was included in that trade. They also acquired a 2023 first round pick that turned into Jett Howard. To walk away with at least 2, and maybe 3, not just impact players, but starters who can be a part of a core that can maybe one day go deep into the playoffs for a guy who has not looked like the player he was in Orlando since the trade is a home run and is arguably one of the greatest trades in the history of the Magic.
The Orlando Magic have had some of the highest highs you can have without winning a championship and some low lows. Getting to The Finals in 1995 and 2009 were awesome but then losing both catalysts, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, for those team’s to the Lakers is a brutal pill to swallow. They look like they have the next great core that can maybe lead them back to The Finals, and maybe push them over the top, and I am excited to see how it unfolds in Orlando for this season and beyond.
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