For the first time in a long time, fans are eager to see the Orlando Magic play.
A year of sinking to the bottom followed by what feels like a landmark draft pick will do that. Fans inside the Amway Center were giddy with the selections of Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. Orlando added an elite prospect and one of the most sought-after, versatile forwards in the draft on top of that.
Adding that to an incredibly young roster that showed some spunk even through the difficult finish to the season, there is a lot of energy around the team at the moment. Fans can at least see a higher ceiling for what this group can be.
Getting there will be another story of course. And new coach Jamahl Mosley will have to navigate the pitfalls of the early stages of a rebuild as he and his new staff try to make the most of this young roster.
There is still a lot of eagerness to see how this thing plays out. And the surprise drop of Suggs to Orlando has the fan base buzzing.
The Orlando Magic announced their Summer League roster and there are several players to keep an eye on.
The first time they will see him play will be August 9 against the Golden State Warriors, a team that includes favored Magic picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. It will be a fun series of games for the Magic to see what their young players can do.
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But they are not the only ones who are playing. The Magic will have two of their three second-year players making the trip to Vegas and plenty of players from the Lakeland Magic and a long-awaited second-round pick who is finally making his first trip to the NBA.
Orlando has a full roster. So the main focus will be on the players the team expects to return to the team next year. There are still clearly some other players to keep an eye on.
Summer League will be an interesting period for the Magic, to say the least.
Orlando Magic Players to watch at Summer League
The Rookies
Every Summer League is about the rookies. It is the first taste those players get of their new coaching staff, some of their new teammates and playing in the NBA in general. Because of the delayed NBA season, for rookies across the league, this is also their first time playing 5-on-5 organized basketball since March or earlier.
Jalen Suggs noted during this introductory press conference that he had not played an unrestricted game of 5-on-5 since the NCAA Tournament finished up in late March and early April. Franz Wagner may have not played since his team bowed out in the Elite Eight.
All this is to say that rookies might have a bit of a steeper learning curve when they take the floor for the first time next week.
Still, the most excitement the Magic have from these Summer League games is to see just how they can use their new toys.
Orlando Magic
Suggs entered the draft as one of the premier players after averaging 14.4 points per game and 4.5 assists per game in 28.9 minutes per game. Those feel like modest numbers. But he also had five games of 20 or more points and 15 games of 15 or more points. Gonzaga played in a lot of blowouts and had a lot of balance, shifting how Suggs’ numbers look.
What the Magic will want to see from Suggs during Summer League is flashes of his scoring ability. They want to see him get to the paint and finish at the rim and how he fits into the offense generally with R.J. Hampton and Cole Anthony flanking him on the wings.
Orlando will almost certainly begin implementing the kind of style it wants to play as new coach Jamahl Mosley takes the reigns for at least the first part of Summer League. And so the team will want to see how he fits into that equation.
The ad hoc nature of Summer League will also be a test of the team’s overall versatility and adaptability.
That seems to be a big reason why the team drafted Franz Wagner. The (still listed at) 6-foot-9 forward was known for his defensive versatility and off-ball movement at Michigan. He averaged 12.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Orlando will want to see how he plugs in with a group that is full of players he will largely play with when the season begins.
All rookies will have their ups and downs even in Summer League. Most important of all, the team needs to see signs they are progressing and understanding the NBA game as a jump start to their preseason prep.
Orlando Magic players to watch at Summer League
Second-Year Players
While Summer League is exciting for the rookies to make their debuts, it is also a good point to check on the progress of second-year players, who often show up to act as veterans on the Summer League team. Of course, this year the second-year players will be going through Summer League for the first time in their careers.
It is hard to know then what to expect from Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton step onto the floor at UNLV next week.
Like most second-year players, there is an expectation Anthony and Hampton will take the lead and look a whole lot better than the younger players. There is probably also an expectation that they will be wrapped up and put away sooner than the rookies who might need a little bit more time.
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Judging by social media content, both Anthony and Hampton have been working a whole lot in the gym. It will be good to see if they can put the pieces together in the gym.
Both Anthony and Hampton had strong finishes to their season as they got increased playing time. Anthony, especially, showed a lot more poise on the ball as a playmaker. His shooting even came along.
Anthony averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 41.7-percent from the floor and 34.8-percent from deep in the team’s final 22 games. It was a strong finish for the rookie after he dealt with a prolonged absence due to injury.
Hampton clearly just needed an opportunity to start putting up bigger numbers. After the trade to the Magic, he averaged 11.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with a 48.2-percent effective field goal percentage.
Hampton won the Rookie of the Month Award for May, but there were plenty of warnings that his numbers are not permanent or sustainable. There was a lot of garbage time in those games.
Both Hampton and Anthony still have a lot to prove to build off their rookie seasons. But both have already shown a hunger to get better and leadership to keep their group tight and together. This will be a big season for both players to show where they will go next in their careers.
Noticeably absent, though, is Chuma Okeke.
It is not exactly clear why he has decided not to play in Summer League, although he would be eligible to play as a second-year player. It should be noted too that Okeke did not play with Nigeria in their preparations for the Olympics either.
Orlando will have to wait to see Okeke play during training camp.
Orlando Magic players to watch at Summer League
Janis Timma
Way back in June 2015, the Orlando Magic traded guard Luke Ridnour for a little-known second-round pick in Janis Timma. It was a clear move to get rid of Ridnour’s contract and just grab a stashed second-round pick.
There were a few occasions where the Magic were close to bringing Timma over. But each time, it felt like Timma was looking for a clear role to make the leap over and did not want to make just a Summer League cameo.
Orlando retained his rights if he ever jumped over to the NBA. Meanwhile, Timma kept playing for his national team in Latvia and in various leagues throughout Europe. And he kept playing well.
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The 29-year-old is coming off his best professional season, averaging 12.5 points per game and shooting 54.0-percent from the floor for Khimki Moscow last year in Russia. He is a career 37.3-percent 3-point shooter in four seasons with Baskonia, Olympiacos and Khimki most recently.
Last year, Timma averaged 7.1 points per game while shooting 35.0-percent from beyond the arc in Euroleague last year with Khimki.
Timma is known as a tough-minded defensive wing who can hit from the outside. There just is a major question about whether he would be able to translate to the NBA. Timma has had nice showings for Latvia during international competitions.
The NBA is definitely a different monster.
At 29 years old, Timma is near the prime of his career and he could be in a spot to see where he stands in the NBA if that is a goal of his. That is a definite mystery. He is not among the top international prospects outside of the NBA but he is still an interesting guy to bring over.
Orlando is loaded at the wings at the moment. With R.J. Hampton also playing in Summer League, Janis Timma may be coming off the bench more likely than not. But for long-time Magic fans, this is a shot that is a long time coming. And probably his best chance to crack an NBA roster, if that is his goal.
Orlando Magic players to watch at Summer League
Ignas Brazdeikis
The Orlando Magic cycled through plenty of players toward the end of the season as they just tried to get to the finish line. There was sometimes no rhyme or reason for why players got cycled out or cycled in.
Ignas Brazdeikis came from a bit of left field when the Magic brought him in. But it was clear they were looking for someone who could hold his own on a NBA floor while not getting too involved to take away from the players they actually cared about.
Brazdeikis was perfect for this role. He played well for the team, averaging 11.1 points per game on a 51.3-percent effective field goal percentage. He proved to be a solid shooter and able to hold his own offensively.
That has always been the case with Brezdeikis as he played well in a short stint with the New York Knicks and a much better one with the Westchester Knicks in the G-League.
Brazdeikis is the only one of the Magic’s late-season signings to get some Summer League run. That should at least point to some interest in retaining him (even if it is for the minimum or to replace Dwayne Bacon at the end of the bench).
Brazdeikis should not be viewed as anything more than an end-of-bench player, however. He would provide some good support to the team and there is a chance that if he performs well, the Magic keep him on a minimum or two-way contract.
Orlando Magic players to watch at Summer League
Lakeland Magic players
The Orlando Magic have five players on their Summer League roster who played for the G-League champion Lakeland Magic last year. That is a good sign that the Magic are looking to use their G-League team to help create opportunities for their players both with the main roster and elsewhere in the league.
There are few players from the starting lineup of that team — Mamadi Diakite was on loan to the Lakeland Magic from the Milwaukee Bucks, Devin Cannady is still recovering from his injury (and making significant progress). These are not the best of that team that won the title last year.
One name should get some special attention — starting center Jon Teske.
Teske averaged 6.7 points per game in 19.8 minutes per game during the regular season. He jumped up to 10.7 points per game in the three-game postseason. In college, Teske averaged 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a senior at Michigan in 2020.
Teske is not much of a rebounder and his shot is still developing. At this point, he is a big body at 7-foot-1. But the Magic’s biggest need right now is finding a third center to back up their other two young bigs in Wendell Carter and Mohamed Bamba.
The other Lakeland players worth looking at are Jeff Dowtin, D.J. Hogg, Justin Jackson and Tahjere McCall.
McCall was one of the best defenders in the G-League and will certainly get a long look through Summer League. He averaged 11.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game as a 6-foot-4 guard.
The other interesting name in that group is Justin Jackson.
Jackson was the Magic’s second-round pick in the 2018 draft. But he has dealt with various shoulder injuries and has not yet even played on the Summer League team. He had a short stint with Lakeland in the 2020 season but was eventually cut from the team.
Orlando seems to be tying off a loose end to see if Jackson can play and whether he is worth bringing closer to the team — possibly even back to Lakeland.
But the Magic will have plenty to look at from these guys during their Summer League. And there are plenty of intriguing stories to follow as the Magic get set to play in Las Vegas.