Orlando Magic fans had pitched the idea among themselves at least a little bit. If the Magic are really going to “positionless,” versatile basketball then they surely had to be thinking about going to a super big lineup that would feature Franz Wagner at the 2.
So there it was as the starting lineup for the team’s final preseason game. Wendell Carter, Mo Bamba, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony on the floor first.
Yes, that would be Wagner as the nominal shooting guard in the lineup. More than that, Wagner was the one bringing the ball up the court and initiating the offense.
Forget what convention says, this is the Magic’s lineup and roster. And the Magic are going to try to make the most of these unique talents and versatility the team had.
As the Orlando Magic closed its preseason with a 114-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, they stuck to the same philosophy that has driven a lot of the rotation decisions throughout the preseason. They showed a willingness to experiment and explore everything their young roster could provide.
That included these funky lineups. And the Magic are not going to show any signs of slowing down with this experimentation. Rotations might settle in but the Magic are not going to be conventional they are going to push the envelope with their young roster’s versatility.
The Orlando Magic spent their preseason willing to experiment and test what their roster could do. The Magic are going all-in on this inversion and versatility in their roster.
So, yes, Wagner will act as the point guard, equally adept at running a pick and roll and getting downhill off the dribble as he is spotting up from beyond the arc.
Yes, Wendell Carter will be taking threes and operating from the high post just as likely as he is going to be posting up.
Yes, Paolo Banchero will get his diet of post-ups and isos that he ate at Duke. But he will also work in pick and rolls and cut along the baseline.
The Magic are excited about their trio of 6-foot-10-plus forwards and their playmaking and scoring versatility. But they are also excited about how they can move their guards around to fit in too. Whether that is Cole Anthony working more off the ball or waiting to see how Jalen Suggs and Markelle Fultz fit into the scheme of things.
The Magic are a team willing to try right now. And more importantly, they are willing to test just what each of their players can do.
"“I think they are doing a very good job of trying to play off of each other,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of the team’s big lineup after Friday’s game. “I think a lot of times the difference spaces they are in they are working to move in different space. But that’s the one thing that I’m really enjoying is them trying to play off of one another and the decision-making of when to give the next person space. That’s been great to see.”"
It still starts with the basic fundamentals and principles of the team’s offense. The emphasis on ball movement and quick decision-making is essential for this team to break down defenses. They do not quite have the full respect of defenses yet.
They still have to create that advantage.
Even the Magic’s vaunted too big lineup they ran Friday against the Cavaliers got faced with a zone almost immediately as their opponent dared them to shoot and then a collapsing defense with nearly every player keeping a foot in the paint to try to clog driving lanes.
The Magic are versatile and smart enough to find their advantages still. And when they do, the fact that the ball-handler is likely a big forward can cause a lot of problems for a defense.
Franz Wagner essentially opened the game with a wicked crossover on Cedi Osman that sent him hurtling in the wrong direction.
All the while Anthony was the one setting a final screen to spring Wagner to the basket. It was a perfect example of the Magic’s willingness to invert everything and how everyone has to be able to do everything for this team.
Indeed, it was Wagner bringing up the ball as the point guard for most of those possessions. Will that be something that carries into the regular season or is this merely preseason experimentation?
Only time will tell.
It should be clear the Magic want to try any and everything.
Wagner will have a lot more playmaking and initiating responsibility than he did last year. And that is something the Magic want to invite.
"“Just being able to trust to put the ball in his hands is big,” Mosley said after Friday’s game. “You noticed, they picked him up full court. They applied a ton of pressure which I thought it was fantastic that he was able to handle that and get us into some of our sets. It is the pressure he is going to see throughout the year. It was something that was a great experience for him to have as he works on his game.”"
Both Wagner and Banchero will do their fair share at the top of the key while they let Anthony work more off the ball to leverage his scoring (and limit his pull-ups).
They can only do this because of how much they trust their decision-making. That more than their size is what versatility may be about. They have skills that are not of the position they would traditionally play. So the Magic are willing to test just how much they can stretch those skills.
This is just one of the examples of the way the Magic are looking to experiment and test their lineup.
That is a good chunk of what this season is.
The results from Friday were certainly mixed. But it is just one opponent and the preseason is for this kind of forced experimenting.
Orlando’s starting lineup with the forward trio alongside Anthony and Bamba scored 16 points in 14 possessions while giving up 14 points in the first quarter. It is not exactly a ringing endorsement but it was not a disaster either (granted the Cavaliers were playing without their trio of All-Stars in Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen).
A second stint with that specific group in the second quarter saw the Magic score just five points in seven possessions while giving up 10 points in that same span of about 3.5 minutes. It is a lineup that may need some further study and continued tinkering.
But the formal experimenting may be over as the team tries to set a hard rotation for its regular season. The next time the team takes the floor, the games will count. And so any failed experiment could have dier consequences.
Where in the preseason, coach Jamahl Mosley can enter a game specifically trying to see combinations and lineups on the floor regardless of whether they work or not because preseason results are just data to collect, the regular season requires more precision and careful thought.
Then again, the way the Magic are building, theoretically any playing group should be able to wok together. After all, positions do not matter much, right?
It remains to be seen just how much of Mosley’s experimenting will carry over to the regular season. But these past five games were spent not only laying down the foundations for the team’s offensive and defensive principles throughout the roster, it was also spent testing just what everyone can do and the limits of their versatility.
If that was the case, the Magic found that the limits are not as strict as they may have believed. They may have found that this team can operate with some endless possibility and that they can do some unique things that put pressure on defenses.
The Magic found there is still a lot more to explore and tinker with even as the season begins. And plenty more potential to tap into.