Orlando Magic 2024-25 season preview: Can they keep rising in the East with this young core?

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

The 2024-25 NBA season is here! We’re breaking down the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy outlooks for all 30 teams. Enjoy!

ORLANDO MAGIC

2023-24 finish

Offseason moves

Additions: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph, Tristan Da Silva

Subtractions: Markelle Fultz, Joe Ingles, Chuma Okeke

Complete roster

The Big Question: Are Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner the foundational building blocks of a championship contender?

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is one of the best complementary role players in the NBA. He is the type of player a team signs once the powers-that-be have convinced themselves they can actually contend. Ask the Los Angeles Lakers, who won with him in 2020, or the Denver Nuggets, who won with him in 2023.

Caldwell-Pope joins All-Defensive guard Jalen Suggs in one of the best defensive backcourts in the league. Cole Anthony’s instant offense and Gary Harris’ veteran presence round out a talented trove of guards — so talented that the Magic opted not to bring back former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.

The Magic are just as deep at center, where Wendell Carter Jr., Moe Wagner, Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze collectively provide some combination of shooting, defense and power. Carter might be the best representative of all three, though a healthy Isaac could be the game’s best defensive player per minute.

Paolo Banchero (#5) and Franz Wagner (#22) got their first taste of the NBA playoffs last season. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Jamahl Mosley, last season’s runner-up for Coach of the Year, has his options. None of them will matter — at least so far as this season goes — if Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are not ready to lead them.

Banchero was an All-Star last season at the age of 21. He averaged a 23-7-5 on 46/34/73 shooting splits. He has all the tools to become an elite playmaker from the forward position. He has not harnessed them yet, though few players have ever been so difficult to stop from getting to the rim at such a young age.

He could improve his shooting efficiency across the board, especially on pull-up jumpers,…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-10-07 18:29:39

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