3 Orlando Magic players who will have to adapt to a new role this season 

Magic fans will see only a few unfamiliar faces on their team this season. Despite the team’s struggles in the playoffs, the front office decided to bring back pretty much the same roster. The Magic opted not to re-sign Joe Ingles and Markelle Fultz in free agency but gave new contracts to Gary Harris, Goga Bitadze, and Moritz Wagner. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph, and Tristan da Silva are the only new faces in Orlando. 

The Magic are betting heavily on internal improvement, especially from their guards, to build on last season’s success. As a result, a few players will have to fill roles they are not used to quite yet. 

3. Jalen Suggs

This is the biggest one. All eyes have been on Jalen Suggs ever since the Magic decided not to chase an impactful point guard during the offseason. Cory Joseph is a traditional point guard, but he is not expected to play heavy minutes. Signing him was more of an insurance to make sure the team had a point guard to fall back on in times of need. 

Someone who is already on the roster will have to step up as a playmaker. If the playoffs revealed one thing, it was that the Magic needed someone other than Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to create offense and make plays for others. Suggs is the obvious answer to that problem. He is widely regarded as the third core guy for the Magic and one of the young two-way guards on the rise. 

Improving as a playmaker is the next logical step for him. The question is just whether he can take that step this season or if his development will take some more time. It will definitely be a serious adjustment for him to make. 

Suggs’ preseason debut as the team’s starting point guard was not very inspiring. In 17 minutes, he turned the ball over five times and dished out only two assists. Just a game later, things already looked better. Suggs did not turn the ball over at all against the Spurs but also only recorded one assist in 22 minutes on the court.