Orlando Magic: 3 Starting Lineup Predictions for the 2022 Season
By Isaac Ryu
After a wildly successful draft, the Orlando Magic are in a unique position most teams would love to be in. They have almost too many young prospects. Luckily for the Magic, they have time to experiment and assess who works and who doesn’t.
One can expect that once Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz return from injury, they will most likely have a spot in the starting lineup. But the remaining slots are still up in the air.
The Magic fell far from their previous identity as a stellar defensive team. Just two years ago, the Magic were boasting a top 10 defense and a suitable offense. Under Steve Clifford and the consistent production from Nikola Vucevic, the Magic thrived toward the latter half of the 2020 season.
But now that the Magic have fully accepted the youth movement and have committed to the rebuild. The team looks a lot different. Especially with the hiring of Jamahl Mosley, the identity of the team is sure to change.
The Orlando Magic are starting their rebuild with a roster full of intriguing young players and a ton of questions about the rotation. Carving a starting lineup will be difficult.
There is not one specific area the team needs to address. Overall the team was way off the mark and finished 29th and 26th in offensive and defensive rating respectively last season. Their net rating was not much better at -9.4 which put them at 29th.
This is how a team ends up with the best odds to win the Lottery and one of the worst records in the league.
There is no telling if this season will statistically be better. That will naturally come with having young inexperienced players on your team. To put the inexperience of the team into perspective, Isaac has only played 136 games in his now four-year career, Fultz has only played 113 in four years and Mohamed Bamba has only played 155 in three.
There will be ups and downs but that is expected.
But one question that looms ahead of the start of the regular season is who suits up in the starting lineup.
The Magic still have players like Terrence Ross and Gary Harris alongside all their young prospects. How does the coaching staff balance minutes? The Magic should not be tanking games just for another lottery trip, they should be aiming high, and rightfully so.
What about the center position? The Magic currently have Wendell Carter Jr., Moritz Wagner, Mohamed Bamba and Robin Lopez under contract.
Who starts? Who gets minutes? And perhaps the most intriguing question is what do the Magic do with Bamba? It is not that far off to expect a Bamba trade in the future. Perhaps it is just a matter of when…
Let’s not forget the team also have a slew of guards they will need to work through. Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, R.J. Hampton and Michael Carter-Williams are all vying for the same backcourt spots so it will be an interesting year to see who starts, closes or even who will not be on the team moving forward.
The Magic also have a gaping hole at the forward position. After letting Dwayne Bacon and James Ennis walk in free agent, the team does not have a traditional, reliable 3-and-D wing.
Isaac is most needed at the 4, Chuma Okeke has only shown flashes and both Terrence Ross and Gary Harris are undersized for the position.
The hope is Franz Wagner can be the big playmaking wing who can spread the floor and facilitate to complete the lineup. Wagner will grow into his role but he isn’t quite ready for it.
Taking in all the questions, goals and conflicts into consideration, here are three potential starting lineups for the 2022 NBA season.