The Orlando Magic’s Summer League is coming to an end.
The team will close its five-game run in Las Vegas on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons. That means no Magic basketball again until late September when the team gathers again for training camp.
Paolo Banchero is expected to play in the Crawsover in Seattle, joining up with a team during the pro-am’s season already in progress. That will run through the end of August. And Eurobasket looms in September just before camp starts. It does not appear Franz Wagner will make his senior national team debut with Germany during this competition.
Everyone will just have to wait for camp to see this team back in action.
That wait is seemingly something everyone is eager for. Banchero gave the team a taste of what the top overall pick could do during his brief Summer League run. That was the biggest takeaway and biggest moment for the team during this week in Las Vegas. And it was all too short.
Still, it was a big impression.
The Orlando Magic are closing their time in Las Vegas. Plenty of players showed out and plenty left more to be desired as their Summer League concludes.
The Magic had their own goals in Summer League. They were still layering on the foundations of their offensive and defensive system and building their culture. That part was still on display throughout the course of Summer League.
In that sense, the Magic have to consider their Summer League run a success. They won their two games with Banchero playing and they seemed to carry over the spirit that made the end of their 2022 season feel so disappointing.
Still, Summer League is as much about individual players and evaluating the players on the roster as it is about the team-building that happens. Summer League does not matter from a team perspective as much as it means a lot more to the players playing in it. Many of them are auditioning for their future jobs.
There were players who took steps forward and were impressive during the Magic’s Summer League runs. And some who were left with questions. Plenty of questions left to answer.
How real do we consider anything from Summer League? Really, it is as real as we make it.
What it is really about is whether these players made the next steps — whether that is confirming star status, securing a place on the roster or earning another look with a training camp invite.
With Summer League nearing its conclusion, it is time to look at the players who helped themselves and those who hurt themselves during their week-plus in Las Vegas.
Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down
1 Up: Paolo Banchero
No getting around it or beating around the bush, the most important thing the Orlando Magic were going to see and learn from this Summer League was their first good look at top overall pick Paolo Banchero.
After all the subterfuge to hide their desires to pick Banchero and everything else, the Magic needed to have some evidence they made the right pick.
From the very first shot he took — a relocation for a three-pointer off an R.J. Hampton drive — it was clear Banchero was something special. Or, at the very least, he was a bit too good to be playing in Summer League.
Banchero dominated the minutes he played for the Magic, averaging 20.0 points per game and 6.0 assists per game in two appearances. He shot a 44.4-percent effective field goal percentage, but that came largely because he was feeling more aggressive and assertive in his second game, hunting for his shot and sometimes taking bad shots.
To be sure, the next step for Banchero will be learning what a good shot is and when to be aggressive. Orlando will be helping him discover that through much of his rookie season — and early career.
But Banchero can clearly hit all the shots.
He put on a step-back three-pointer early on in his debut against the Houston Rockets. He hit shots through contact throughout both games. Knowing his jumper was not working in the win over the Sacramento Kings, he started putting his head down and getting to the basket.
He dominated there too and just punished smaller defenders. And when he was not hitting, he got to the foul line.
Still, the most impressive thing from Banchero was his passing. He only showed hints of his playmaking and passing at Duke. But that was on full display as he darted difficult cross-court passes and eventually took over all the point guard duties for the team.
The Magic played him everywhere and seemed willing to experiment with his positioning on the floor. That experimenting will surely continue as it just seems like Banchero can play anywhere.
That is all Orlando needed to see. It was clear Banchero could do whatever he wanted at this level — and sometimes played like it in a negative way — and so the team is just scratching the surface on what he can do.
Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down
1 Down: R.J. Hampton
R.J. Hampton should not be dead and buried after his Summer League run.
This is Summer League and is supposed to be a place where players can experiment and make mistakes. This is not the regular season and Hampton knows how to play when the NBA season starts.
Still, this was not a good sign for Hampton despite all of that. There was some good from Hampton, but the bad far outweighed it.
Generally, Hampton’s two-game run left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. That impression outweighed everything else. And it was hard to argue against it.
Hampton’s counting stats do not look so bad — and preview some of the things he did well. He averaged 12.0 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game and 3.0 turnovers per game.
Again, there are some good things hidden in those numbers but there is a lot of bad. And it certainly did not feel like an experienced player playing at Summer League.
That was perhaps the biggest thing.
It is rare for a third-year player to make a Summer League appearance. And Hampton was right to surmise that he would get a lot more playing in an organized setting than he would in unorganized pick-up runs.
Hampton needed to play within a structure and show he could succeed in a team setting. The Magic needed to see control from him, especially if he was going to be on the ball.
That is where Hampton struggled most. Running the point for the Magic, Hampton still seemed to be out of control and unable to bring the stability the Magic needed. His attacks were a bit wild and his three-point shot was inconsistent.
There were still good moments. Hampton was better in the half-court and played with some good composure and poise driving the lane. But he still seemed to be moving way too fast.
And this was Summer League. He should have been the most composed player on the court for the Magic because of that experience. Instead, he was the one making critical mistakes. Certainly not mistakes you would expect a Summer League veteran like Hampton to make.
Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down
2 Up: Tommy Kuhse
As the Orlando Magic began to shift their focus to the non-roster players as players like Paolo Banchero, R.J. Hampton and Admiral Schofield sat, it was curious to see who would step up. I will not lie, I was not impressed with the names the Magic had put on their Summer League roster. It did not feel like this was a super deep roster.
This is my mea culpa. The Magic found some gems and solid players and their culture seeped down to make this roster incredibly interesting.
Tommy Kuhse has stood out the most in this late run. He made his debut in Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and seemed to change the tide of the game immediately, helping the Magic climb back into the game.
He followed that up with 25 points and five steals in Thursday’s loss to the New York Knicks, seemingly doing the same where his presence changed the energy in the game.
In his two games, Kuhse is averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 68.0-percent from the floor and 5 for 9 on 3-pointers. He has added 4.0 assists per game against 3.0 turnovers per game.
Orlando needs a shooter and Kuhse has been solid at that. He has been solid at working his way into the paint too and creating some havoc there. But his energy defensively and the pace he plays at have stood out the most. He seemingly makes all the right decisions and has just boosted his team.
At the very least, Kuhse seems to have earned himself a spot on the Lakeland Magic, if he wants it. And perhaps a training camp invite on an Exhibit 10 contract. Kuhse has done everything a team wants to see — play with energy, play with efficiency and play to impact winning.
Kuhse has been the most impressive non-roster player at Summer League. Which makes you wonder why the team sat him the first two games and did not give him the chance to play alongside the Magic’s main players.
Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down
2 Down: Devin Cannady
Devin Cannady has not played horribly in this Summer League. But, at the same time, he has not secured his spot on the team.
Other things have happened around him that should raise some alarms for the inspiring young player.
The good news is the Orlando Magic know exactly what they are getting in Cannady. So his Summer League performance should not put that in too much jeopardy.
Still, Cannady has struggled in Summer League. In four games, he is averaging 10.8 points per game, but is shooting just 28.2-percent from the floor and 9 for 34 from beyond the arc.
Cannady has not been afraid to shoot, nor should he be. And the Magic know he can be a quality 3-point shooter — he made 15 of 37 3-pointers in five games last season in his NBA cameo. So there may not be that concern.
Still, things have changed around him.
Orlando has a full roster now after signing second-round pick Caleb Houstan to a reported four-year deal with the first two years guaranteed suddenly puts Cannady in hot water.
Cannady’s two-year deal is non-guaranteed and will not become guaranteed until January. The Magic will have to cut someone before the end of camp and Cannady suddenly becomes the easiest player to cut.
It still seems like a safe bet that Cannady would slot into the Magic’s second two-way contract if that is the case.
Then again, Orlando still needs a third point guard, unless the team’s plan is to head into camp with Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs as the team’s three lead guards.
Cannady still has a lot of work to do to secure his spot.
He needs to become a consistent outside shooter and shake off his cold shooting in Summer League. He also needs to continue improving as a defender, where he has struggled some at the point of attack.
Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down
3 Up: Jesse Mermuys
Throughout the course of last season, Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley constantly praised his coaching staff for helping the team prepare and stay engaged. Mosley is usually one to deflect praise on himself. He wants to be all about his team and that includes his coaching staff.
Obviously, a lot of the directives still come from Mosley. And as president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman put it before the draft, Jamahl Mosley is a lot more comfortable in his position as head coach now than he was a year ago when he was first hired.
Orlando certainly seemed to be settling in on a much more defined and clear style of play on the floor. Yet the team has retained much of the same camaraderie and spirit that defined their 2022 season.
The players deserve credit for buying in. But the Magic’s Summer League coaching staff, led by assistant coach Jesse Mermuys, deserves credit for keeping the team engaged, playing hard and pushing through these games.
Plain and simple: This Magic team has been fun and has carried through everything that made the 2022 team so endearing. On top of that, the team has been creative with its sets and precise with its defense (even if the team does not always have the personnel to run the exact style the Magic are testing out).
Mermuys has done a great job. He has designed some fantastic out-of-timeout plays — including setting up Caleb Houstan for a game-tying 3-pointer in Monday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a disguised hammer screen.
It is easy for Summer League players to go off on their own. They have their own goals and desires to showcase themselves. But everyone on this Magic team seems bought into what the Magic are trying to accomplish and engaged and cheering for each other’s success.
That is all anyone could ask for from this kind of a roster. And Mermuys has done an impressive job with this group.
Orlando Magic Summer League: 3 up, 3 down
3 Down: Jeremiah Tilmon
Noting Jeremiah Tilmon here is not to say that he has played poorly. He has actually played decently well, averaging 3.3 points per game and 1.0 rebounds per game in 9.0 minutes per game.
Tilmon has not gotten a ton of time, but when he has, he has eaten up space well and defended the rim.
The Orlando Magic switched a lot and left Tilmon guarding the perimeter on a number of occasions. He has held his own and was able to slow his defender down enough to let the rest of the defense catch up.
But that is the bigger point here. Tilmon has looked like a hulking dinosaur on the floor.
Teams just scheme around his presence by getting him into space and testing him defensively. Again, he did not fail there, but the way the Magic are trying to play defensively continually put him in uncomfortable and often poor defensive spots.
In a regular season game, there is probably no way the team could play him.
If there is one thing that became abundantly clear from the way the Magic were playing, the age of the paint-bound, bruising center is coming to an end. At the very least, it is not the way the Magic want to be playing.
They are going to ask their centers to switch onto the perimeter and guard in space. they are going to ask them not only to defend the paint but step out on the perimeter to muck up offensive sets. That is the way the league appears to be headed.
It is not Jeremiah Tilmon’s fault. He did his best with the time he was given and all the Magic asked for him. Players of his type are just increasingly hard to play in this league.
And the biggest thing that was clear from the Magic’s Summer League run was that they are embracing all the modern trends.