Orlando Magic: 3 players who can break into starting lineup
By Jacob Warfle
With the draft finished and free agency almost wrapped up, the Orlando Magic roster is close to finalized. With so many young players on the roster, it is safe to say the Magic will have a lot of lineup shuffling this year.
The Magic have the potential to use more starting lineups this upcoming season than any team in the league.
This is mainly due to extended injury recovery periods for two of the Magic’s biggest foundational pieces in Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac.
Whenever Fultz and Isaac return from injury, they will likely return to their spot in the starting lineup. But in the meantime, the Magic could roll out some interesting combinations.
As with any young roster, the team will try various lineups to see what they are working with. The Magic have an overabundance of interchangeable guards leaving fans wondering, who exactly will be a staple in the starting lineup?
The Orlando Magic have a ton of young players to sort through and several players who could easily break into the starting lineup quickly for the team.
Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony or Jalen Suggs will handle the point guard responsibilities. But we do not know to what extent and what share of the primary ball-handling duties will be given to what player. Michael Carter-Williams can even be thrown into that mix — although he will miss the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his ankle.
At the 2-guard, Gary Harris, Terrence Ross and R.J. Hampton will vie for time. One of the young point guards could even drift over and take some minutes at shooting guard as well.
The forward positions are even messier with Chuma Okeke, Jonathan Isaac and Franz Wagner in the mix. It is tough to say if the Magic will play two traditional forwards. The likely outcome is a small-ball lineup with three guards.
Even the center position is up for grabs as Wendell Carter, Mohamed Bamba and Robin Lopez will battle for the starting gig.
All of this goes to say, the Magic have an overabundance of unproven players with high potential. We know the team needs to improve, as they were 26th in defensive rating and 29th in offensive rating last season.
On a team with a bottom-five record in the NBA, no player deserves to be locked in the starting lineup. The Magic will need to be flexible and adjust on the fly.
There is, however, some players who are in prime position to land a permanent spot in the starting five. It all comes down to opportunity and performance.