3 Important lessons learned during the Orlando Magic’s 2024 preseason 

1. Many of last season’s issues have not been resolved yet

Improvement and growth always take time in the NBA, so it is not entirely surprising that many of the Magic’s biggest issues from last season were still evident during the regular season. 

The most prominent of those issues is the team’s 3-point shooting. During preseason, the Magic never shot better than 31.6 percent from three for a game. Several key players struggled from beyond the arc. Jalen Suggs only shot 4-18 from three, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went 1-6, Franz Wagner missed all of his seven attempts, and Cole Anthony only made 2 of his 11 attempts. 

So far, it does not look like the Magic’s shooting has improved compared to last season. It was encouraging to see Jett Howard and Anthony Black shoot it well from long range, though. 

Likewise, turnovers were still an issue during preseason, even though the Magic turned the ball over less with each game. Against the Pelicans, the Magic turned the ball over 23 times for 26 points scored by New Orleans. Especially Jalen Suggs’ five turnovers in that game were concerning, as it was not a promising start to his point guard career. Suggs quickly got the turnovers under control though, only turning over the ball twice for the rest of preseason. 

In the other two games, the Magic turned the ball over less—20 times against the San Antonio Spurs and 18 times against the Philadelphia 76ers—but still gave up a lot of points. In total, opponents scored 80 points off the Magic’s turnovers in preseason. 

A team that struggles to score cannot afford to give up that many points or possessions.