Orlando Magic’s young core is turning heads quickly

The NBA world is . . . well it is not buzzing yet about the Orlando Magic.

For now, the Magic will remain a hidden gem among the NBA luminaries. A team that is at the bottom of the standings but that the NBA nerds who pore over everything on League Pass will be eager to see.

Even getting to that status is a bit of a victory for a 22-win team that has lived at the bottom of the standings for all but three seasons in the past decade.

The No. 1 pick certainly increases the attention and visibility of a team. The Magic will play their first TNT-televised game outside of the Playoffs and Bubble Seeding Round games since the 2012 season on Nov. 1.

That is something to look forward to. So is apparently the Magic’s young core.

The Orlando Magic are already starting to turn heads and be tabbed as a young team to watch on League Pass as the preseason nears its end.

Orlando fans are no longer the only ones watching this group. The rumblings about this young group are getting louder. And Tuesday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies — a game that aired nationally on NBATV, no less — has sent some of this discussion into overdrive.

The Magic may not be Orlando’s little secret for much longer. Even if the team again struggles to pick up wins once again this season.

The Ringer posted its Young Core Rankings on Wednesday, evaluating the teams with the best group of players 25 years and younger based on FiveThirtyEight’s WAR projections and the personal rankings of The Ringer’s writers involved.

Orlando ranked fourth (up from fifth last year) in those rankings.

As Zach Kram notes, that does not necessarily mean the team is destined for greatness. They still lack some guard play — they need one of Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony or Markelle Fultz to hit to become something very special and this could be an area to focus on with another likely high pick on its way.

But it is hard to ignore the playmaking and potential of that front line with Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter. He surmises that perhaps Banchero or one of the others could take on the main playmaking duties.

That was one of the big takeaways from Tuesday’s game. The Magic’s frontcourt of Wagner, Banchero and Carter totaled 16 assists.

That playmaking and the way that trio worked together was the biggest thing that stood out from the win Tuesday. The potential and how everything can come together with this group.

Ian Levy of The Step Back wrote in response to Tuesday’s game that the passing from that trio is a good place for the Magic to start. And it seems like something that can only grow:

"“This grouping is incredibly flexible because of their combination of size, passing ability and awareness, and as Banchero and Carter Jr. become more reliable outside threats it will only open the defense more. But the play below should perhaps inspire as much optimism for Magic fans as anything else.”"

The development of both Wagner and Carter at this early stage of the preseason is getting lots of notice.

Both players were hidden gems last year that seemingly only fans in Orlando knew about.

Wagner was all-rookie first team after averaging 15.2 points per game and 2.9 assists per game last season.

Carter was just solid and probably the team’s most consistent player throughout the season, averaging 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. After the All-Star Break, he averaged 19.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. On top of his usually good defense.

There is a lot of excitement obviously for Banchero as the top overall pick. But the excitement for Wagner and Carter is growing. Wagner’s showing at EuroBasket added a lot of fuel to the fire and brought Wagner to a new audience.

To a lot of longtime NBA observers, Wagner and Carter could be candidates for breakout seasons. The preseason has certainly confirmed this potential.

Sam Vecenie and Mark Schindler both listed Wagner and Carter as two of the most underrated players in the league:

This is all to say, there is suddenly a lot of interest and intrigue in the Magic. A lot of reasons to get excited. And a lot of players who could suddenly find their footing in the NBA and find their footing in stardom in the NBA.

As most of the national podcasts have started publishing their predictions for the season, many of them are taking the over for the Magic. Currently, WynnBet has set the Magic’s win projection at 26.5 victories.

This team is clearly different though. Tuesday’s win was notable not just for getting the close victory with both teams playing their starters, but that it was just a ton of fun. That was something even Terrence Ross noted on his appearance on The Sixth Man Show. Tuesday’s game was an important one for the Magic.

That is also pretty clear and something the national media is catching onto as well.

Zach Lowe of ESPN ranked the Magic at No. 25 in his annual League Pass rankings. His concern remains the mystery of so many young players — from Cole Anthony to Jonathan Isaac — but mostly the team’s frustrating offense. The Magic have not had a top-10 offense since Dwight Howard’s final season.

Last year, the Magic were 28th with many of the same mysteries about players on their roster. Things do change.

It is very clear the Magic are trending up in watchability and everything else on the floor. That is the growing sentiment from national media as the 2023 season gets ready to begin.

This young group has promise and the team has optimism. This young core is getting plenty of notice even with a few preseason games under their belt.

How optimistic everyone will be and how popular the Magic suddenly become will get determined, as all things are, on the court this season.