ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic enter the 2023-24 NBA season fresh off a campaign in which they made a 12-win improvement over the prior year.
That mark was the best jump in the Eastern Conference.
After a 5-20 start to the league calendar year, Orlando went 29-28 to close out its schedule and remained in postseason contention until the final few games remaining on its docket.
However, even though the Magic brought back the majority of their roster, in this league, there’s no guarantee that a team will pick right back up where they left off.
So, where does that leave Orlando as it officially tips off its 35th anniversary season at the AdventHealth Training Center for Media Day on Monday? Let’s take a closer look.
Embrace Expectations
During the exit interview process and throughout the offseason, Magic players up and down the roster thoroughly expressed their desire to make the playoffs during the 2023-24 season.
Those expectations have been echoed by the fanbase and members of the media alike who hope to see the team build on their strong finish to the prior campaign.
“I get that there’s going to be expectations,” said Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley during a one-on-one interview from his office at the AdventHealth Training Center. “We’ve talked to each one of the players. Embrace whatever those expectations are. I also go into that saying we’re not going to change who we are and what we’ve done to this point from a work side of things. So, we’re going to work every day.”
The final part of Mosley’s statement rings true. Since his arrival, the 15th head coach in franchise history has emphasized mastering the process rather than focusing on potential future results. He’s been steadfast in his belief that by making incremental improvement and winning the day, the long-term results will take care of themselves.
“It’s a process. A lot of teams will use the playoffs as the goal. That’s where they want to go,” Mosley explained. “There are 29 other teams that are saying it. Everybody wants to get there. There’s nothing wrong with that. In that same vein, you cannot skip steps. You have to go through the process every single day and it’s what our guys know. The work that it takes to get there. Being close to that play-in game last year gave our guys a sense of the intensity, the work you have to put in, the attention to detail you have to have, and the trust and belief that you have to have in one another.”
Continuity and Health
While the schedule makers dealt the Magic a tough start to their regular season slate – Orlando embarks on an arduous four-game West Coast strip right after opening night – two things working in their favor are continuity and health.
All but three members of the Magic’s expected regular season roster saw action for Orlando at some point last season. On top of that, Orlando’s coaching staff remains intact, which means the team can hit the ground running when training camp starts on Tuesday rather than focusing on implementing terminology and focusing on basic principles.
“It’s great for our group especially,” Mosley explained. “They know what to expect. The coaches know what to expect. We have been together going on three years now and I think that having that continuity does wonders. You don’t have to walk, talk, and teach all over again. You can just walk into the building and each player knows what to expect.”
Perhaps even more important than that continuity is the fact that the team enters the season completely healthy for the first time since Mosley’s arrival. To a man, every player on Orlando’s roster is expected to be fully available for camp when it gets underway.
“Since I’ve been here, we haven’t had it,” said Mosley. “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to walk out on the floor and say everyone is going to be a full participant in our training camp. Obviously, there’s nicks and bruises – nobody goes through a season without bumps and bruises. When you get to the postseason, everybody has something going on. But I think right now, it’s such a wonderful thing to be able to go into camp knowing that we have everyone competing at every spot healthy.”
Earning Time and Style of Play
One of the biggest advantages of having a healthy squad is that it allows for competition for playing time. Without a doubt, spots in the Magic’s rotation will be earned, not given.
While you’d imagine that Orlando will likely enter camp with a starting unit of Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. – based off that group’s success playing together last season – if others prove themselves during camp and the preseason, there’s certainly no guarantee that’ll be the opening lineup when the Magic tip off the season against the Houston Rockets.
With immense depth on the roster, players such as Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac, Joe Ingles, Anthony Black, and Moe Wagner can all push for spots and time. Plus, it's not always about how you start, sometimes it's about how you finish games as well.
“I think it’s great (having to) earn your position and your time,” Mosley said. “The great part about this team and that we brought everybody back is that the continuity is there.”
While spots up and down the rotation will remain open throughout camp, regardless of which faces cement themselves in those places, Orlando will remain true to its style of play.
The Magic will focus on playing hard, limiting mistakes, unselfishness, pushing the pace, and having fun while doing it.
“We’re going to compete at a high level,” Mosley said. “Every time a team comes in here, it’s going to be a dog fight. We’re not going to beat ourselves. We’re going to focus on attention to detail. We’re going to continue to play for each other and cover for each other. And then, there’s going to be that sense of joy and enthusiasm that we’ll play with every single time we hit the floor.”
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner
Any discussion of the Magic’s potential success for this season and beyond starts with franchise cornerstones Banchero and Wagner.
Banchero, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, finished his inaugural campaign ranking first in points (20.0 per game), fifth in rebounds (6.9), and third in assists (3.7) per game among first-year players.
Wagner, meanwhile, had a standout sophomore season. The 6-foot-10 forward made the league’s 10th most shots on drives, scored the ninth-most fourth-quarter points, improved his 3-point shooting percentage (36 percent), and went 42.1 percent from 3-point range in catch-and-shoot situations – the 17th best mark among players who took at least 200 of them, according to Second Spectrum tracking data.
The Magic’s dynamic duo then took to the international stage this offseason for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Banchero donned the red, white, and blue and impressed with his defensive strides, strong finishes at the rim, and ability to switch positions in order to benefit his country.
Meanwhile, Wagner earned TCL Player of the Game honors with a 19-point, seven-rebound championship game outing that delivered Germany its first FIBA gold medal.
“I was so happy to see what they both did this summer and their areas of growth,” Mosley said. “Obviously, Franz and Moe (Wagner) winning it with Germany and Paolo being able to experience being around those elite guys within the league – elite players as well as coaches.”
So, where should we expect to see the biggest signs of growth from the duo this season? While there will be elements of natural growth in their respective offensive arsenals, the team’s head coach is expecting them to make strides as leaders and on the defensive end of the floor.
“I think there’s a side of leadership that’s going to come out,” said Mosley, who served as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s Basketball Select Team this summer. “When you’ve done what they did this summer and when you’re around a group like that, you learn how to communicate (and) you learn the level you need to be at in order to approach each game. Defensively, they both took huge steps. It’s very satisfying to see the way in which they’re able to guard, communicate, and cover on the floor.”
The Fultz Factor
One way to easily delineate those who watch the Magic closely from casual observers is to get their opinion on Fultz.
Anyone who attentively watched Orlando’s evolution over the course of the 2022-23 season knows the difference Fultz made when he returned to the floor from a toe injury that forced him to miss the Magic’s first 21 games.
Most importantly, the team had a near .500 record with him on the floor and a 5-17 mark without him.
His ability to push the pace while protecting the basketball is underrated and his masterful mid-range game is often overlooked.
“Markelle provides such a different aspect in how we do things,” Mosley explained. “He’s such a selfless individual. He’s always looking for his teammates. He’s always looking for guys in different gaps and different openings. His ability to push the pace at a high, high level, it pushes everybody else’s pace. He raises everyone else up. That’s something that I don’t know how much it gets noticed, but as coaches we see it. His teammates love playing with him. He’s going to turn it up another level this year. And defensively, is also what I’m so excited about as well. I was watching clips the other day of just his on-ball defense (and) the way he’s just so much more physical than a lot of guys.”
Wendell Carter Jr.: “He's Our Glue in So Many Ways”
The Magic’s roster is loaded with size and versatility. One of the players on the roster who consistently uses those traits to his advantage is Carter.
The 6-foot-10, 262-pound center allows Orlando to attack its opponents in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor. He also takes immense pride in his physicality, boxing out, rebounding, defense, and setting quality screens – areas that not all players in the NBA devote a high level of energy to on a night in and night out basis.
“He’s so versatile in what he’s capable of doing on both sides of the ball,” said Mosley. “Defensively, he can switch one through five. On certain nights, when most teams would have to double team a big, you don’t have to do that with Wendell because he can sit down and guard on his own. Offensively, at times, he becomes the playmaker. The ball hits his hands a ton at the top of the key and he’s able to go side-to-side. His ability to play in the pocket and make passes and plays. He's our glue in so many ways for what we do on this team.”
Rookies and Roster Depth
There are a ton of returning players up and down the roster that can make significant contributions that will help swing the Magic’s season this year.
Anthony and Suggs worked relentlessly this offseason to continue to improve their games. When he’s healthy, there’s no question that Isaac is one of the league’s biggest defensive disruptors. Harris’ 3-and-D game makes him a plug-and-play fit in any part of the rotation. Caleb Houstan has all the tools to eventually develop into a player who can do the same. Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze both showed last season in stretches that they can deliver whenever they’re called upon. The versatile Chuma Okeke will look to return to form after battling through injuries last season. And Kevon Harris and Admiral Schofield have shown their value as tremendous two-way players.
However, there are also three new additions to Orlando’s roster.
One of those is Ingles, who signed with the Magic as a free agent this summer after appearing in 46 games with the Milwaukee Bucks last season. While he’ll certainly contribute on the court, perhaps the veteran's biggest value could come from mentoring two of the other new faces on Orlando’s roster.
Black, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and Howard, selected at No. 11, have already been sponges around the NBA veteran, who’s entering his 10th season in the league.
“As a veteran, he’s showing these guys the ropes because of what he’s seen, how he’s worked, his journey, (and) his story,” said Mosley of Ingles. “It’s helping these guys out a ton.”
One of the main lessons that Ingles is imparting on the rookies is that while in some organizations playing time might just be gifted to two lottery picks, both Black and Howard will have to earn their way into Orlando’s rotation.
“These young guys in Jett and AB are walking into something where they’re like oh, this is how it works,” Mosley explained. “There’s no skipping steps. There’s no way around it. If you’re willing to put in the work, then you’re going to see the fruits of your labor. I really think that they’re walking into it watching all these other guys work.”