4 Studs and 2 duds from the Orlando Magic’s final preseason game 

Stud: Wendell Carter Jr. 

The Magic’s starting center suffered his first injury of the new season during the team’s first preseason game. Wendell Carter Jr. twisted his ankle, missed some time, and returned looking well. 

Despite the game and practices he missed, Carter Jr. nearly put up a double-double in around 21 minutes on the court. He scored ten points on efficient shooting (5-8 from the field) and grabbed seven rebounds. He also added one assist and one block to the box score. 

Carter Jr. just signed an extension and is now locked up for several years. Much of the offseason discussion revolved around whether or not Wendell Carter Jr. could be this team’s starting center going forward. The Magic like his ability to rebound and space the floor, though.

Carter Jr. did not hit any of his three-point attempts last night but looked good on the boards and converted every of his two-point shots. It was good to see him recover so quickly from the injury and come back looking solid. Orlando will need him to be at his best this season.

Dud: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the Magic’s big offseason addition and the supposed answer to the team’s struggles from three. So far, Caldwell-Pope has not looked very impressive in preseason games. 

Fortunately, everyone speaks highly of him where practice and scrimmages are concerned. Caldwell-Pope’s preseason debut was rather forgettable. After that, he sat out against the New Orleans Pelicans and played only 15 minutes against the 76ers. In those 15 minutes, he made one of his four field goal attempts for three points. All of his field goal attempts came from three, but he did not hit many. 

Hopefully, Caldwell-Pope’s shooting performances will look much improved in the regular season. The Magic desperately need him to space the floor and be a reliable 3-point shooter. Caldwell-Pope has been just that for several years now, so it is hard to believe that the Magic’s bad shooting somehow rubbed off on him and erased his three-point shot. He will start looking more like himself from behind the arc again.