With more than a quarter of the season already in the books, it is safe to come to some conclusions for the Orlando Magic.
We knew what we were getting into this season.
The Magic came into the season with one of the youngest rosters in the league, two starters on the sideline with major injuries and a first-year head coach.
All of these signs pointed to one thing: a rebuilding season.
The Magic are no stranger to these types of seasons. It has been 10-plus years since the team had a real shot of winning a playoff series.
But something about this one feels different. Gone are the days of the never-ending cycle of entering the playoffs as an eight seed with veteran players just to lose and do the same thing the next year.
The Magic have real assets and young prospects playing big minutes every night. Despite the team’s poor record, those young players are showing real growth and real promise. There are things that are working for this team.
Orlando has a record that could land them another top-five pick and the chance the draft another potential star.
The Orlando Magic may be struggling to compete for a playoff spot. But the first quarter of the season showed them a lot about their young roster.
The Magic are long, athletic and play fast even if it is not completely directed at the moment. The Orlando Magic are currently in the top half of the league in pace after a slow start, just below the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.
And the excitement is there. A couple of players have the ability to produce a highlight play at any given moment and Cole Anthony has begun to garner some national attention.
It is all there. It looks like the Magic are building the foundations for the future.
But to go forward, we must look back. Here are 3 takeaways from the first 25 games of the 2022 season.
What the Orlando Magic have learned
Cole Anthony is the real deal
It is clear Cole Anthony has been the MVP for the Orlando Magic so far this season.
Building up his strong finish a year ago, Anthony has elevated his play to a new level. He is averaging 19.6 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game.
He has improved in just about every statistical category, most importantly in his shooting percentages. He is shooting 42.1-percent from the field and 34.5-percent from three.
There is still room to improve that efficiency even more. But this growth is great to see.
Coming into the season, many speculated how the Magic’s crowded backcourt would shake out. Anthony has clearly separated himself from the rest.
He is leading the team in minutes with 34 per game and has the team’s highest usage rate at 26.5-percent.
The Magic coaching staff are trusting Anthony with primary playmaking duties and the results are generally positive. The team clearly struggles when Anthony is off the floor and the offense almost goes stagnant.
Just looking at Anthony’s individual game, he has played more like the five-star second-overall recruit in the class of 2019 than the late-lottery selection he ended up becoming.
This was part of the draw and why he was a home run selection for the Magic. Anthony has always had all-star upside, teams were just focusing on what he cannot do, rather than what he can do. Especially after an injury-filled season at North Carolina.
It is now obvious Anthony is an elite shot-maker. He takes and makes difficult shots on a nightly basis.
He is a fantastic rebounder for his size at his position, shown most notably by his per-game rebounding numbers.
And he is a different type of attacker and playmaker. Anthony attacks downhill relentlessly and constantly puts pressure on the defense at all three levels.
It will be interesting watching how the rest of the season plays out for Cole Anthony, but as it stands right now, the Magic need to be rethinking their rebuilding plan.
Anthony was once just another prospect in the mix for the Magic. But now it looks like he could be the key building piece of the future.
What the Orlando Magic have learned
Jalen Suggs has a long way to go
This season has been a standard rookie season for Jalen Suggs.
There have been highs, like his 21-point performance against the Brooklyn Nets. And there have been lows, like his rough shooting first week.
And there has been injury. A fractured thumb will have Suggs sidelined for an extended amount of time. With no surgery needed, he will be evaluated every two weeks.
On the court so far this year, Suggs has gone through some growing pains as a young rookie. At 20 years old, he really has not been playing high-level basketball for that long and sometimes it shows.
There are plays where Suggs seems to move too quick for his own good and the ball is not quite catching up to his body. His athleticism is untenable, but sometimes he moves like a football player trying to play basketball.
This is not meant to scare fans. The same phrasing was used for Anthony Edwards in his rookie season and now he is playing at an all-star level in Minnesota.
Sometimes it just takes a year for an uber-athletic player to get his legs under him in the league.
Thankfully, the Magic are in no rush. They are rebuilding and can afford for Suggs to take some time to find his footing.
In 21 games played, Suggs is averaging 12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. He is shooting 33.9-percent from the field and 25.5-percent from three.
As anyone can tell, these shooting numbers are a problem. Suggs is not just missing shots. There seem to be times where he is forcing up bad ones. This is not surprising, though, as the Magic are asking a lot of the young guard.
With the second-highest usage rate on the team, the Magic placed a lot of the playmaking duties on Suggs’ shoulders early.
Some of the results were great.
Before his injury, Suggs showed flashes of brilliance. He will pick someone’s pocket and take it coast to coast for a dunk. He will beat his man off the dribble and throw a perfect lob.
The confidence is there. Suggs has all the tools and ability to meet the lofty expectations of being the fifth overall selection. What we are seeing so far is just the life of an NBA rookie.
It is a process, but Jalen Suggs is here for it.
What the Orlando Magic have learned
Wendell Carter is taking the next step
When it comes to Wendell Carter, it is looking like the Orlando Magic made a great investment.
In the offseason, we wondered which Magic players would stick through the rebuild and which players would find a home somewhere else. We speculated about Wendell Carter’s contract, but the Magic put that to rest before the first game tipped with a four-year, $50-million extension.
It turns out paying Carter before this season was a great move because he is already outperforming that contract.
In 24 games played, Carter is averaging 13.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He is doing this in only 28 minutes per game and on less than 10 shots per game. If anything, Magic fans and the Magic themselves need to find ways to get Carter even more involved.
In other words, Carter is efficient. He is shooting 51.6-percent from the field and a staggering 35.7-percent from behind the arc.
His game is continuing to expand as he is taking more than double the amount of threes per game as he’s ever attempted in a single season.
It is safe to say the modern NBA is great for Carter and his game is evolving even faster than the team originally planned. He is really the perfect big man for today’s game.
Carter is just big enough to make a difference in the paint, but just lean enough to run end to end with no trouble. He can catch the lob if needed and even step out and knock down shots from the mid-range and beyond.
Surprisingly enough, Carter has even shown the ability to put the ball on the ground and create. He even mixed in a couple step-back jumpers as of late.
Defensively, Carter has quick enough feet to move on the perimeter and switch if needed. This mean’s he will not get played off the floor by small ball.
There are still areas to improve. It would be good for Carter to dominate more inside and set the tone even more on the defensive end, but that could still come.
What the Orlando Magic care about now is Carter is showing real signs of improvement, something that just was not happening for him during his time with the Chicago Bulls.
Wendell Carter is finally living up to his seventh overall selection and the scary thing is he is still only 23.