Grading Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s Orlando Magic debut in big win over Heat

The wait is finally over. Magic basketball is back, and it returned with a decisive 116-97 win over the Miami Heat. It was a great way to kick off the season, as the Magic got big contributions from several players. 

Paolo Banchero led the charge with 33 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Franz Wagner and his 23 points. Both shot 50 percent from three on significant volume, which was incredibly encouraging to see. If Banchero and Wagner can take steps as 3-point shooters this season, it will really help with the team’s quest to improve offensively. 

They were not the only ones who put together good games though. Gary Harris hit six three-pointers on his way to 18 points and Anthony Black recorded 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Magic’s youngster was one of the first players off the bench and seems to be settling into his new role well. 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s Magic debut left plenty of room for improvement 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s box score looks rather unimpressive compared to what some of these other Magic players did. In about 25 minutes on the court, he scored three points, grabbed one rebound, dished out two assists, got his hand on one steal, and blocked two shots. 

Defensively, Caldwell-Pope looked like he fit right in, guarding several Heat players from Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier to Jimmy Buttler. He was a big part of the Magic’s success on that end of the floor. 

Offensively, Caldwell-Pope’s regular season debut left a lot of room for improvement. Caldwell-Pope was primarily brought to Orlando to improve the team’s spacing and three-point shooting. After all, he has been a reliable threat from long-range for several years now. 

He did not shoot it well during his limited preseason action and also did not convert any of his attempts against Miami. Caldwell-Pope got some good looks, taking five field goal attempts—all of them from three. He missed all of them and got his three points at the free-throw line, making all of his attempts there. 

Since the Magic got the win and big contributions from several other players, Caldwell-Pope’s performance was not overly concerning. With Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Gary Harris all looking great offensively, the Magic did not need Caldwell-Pope’s scoring. 

That might change quickly, though. Harris probably won’t make six threes every game of the season, and the Magic need as many reliable three-point shooters as they can possibly get. Banchero needs space to work with. 

Considering Caldwell-Pope’s track record as a good 3-point shooter, we should expect him to start hitting threes for the Magic sooner rather than later. Still, his debut with the Orlando Magic could have been better. 

Grade: C-