If advantages in the NBA are found now by zigging when other teams are zagging, then Jeff Weltman has been zagging against the impatience that permeates the league every offseason for a while.
Weltman's tenure in charge of the Orlando Magic has been characterized by extreme patience and a belief in the core players he has drafted. Even against a growing tide and growing calls for major changes, Weltman has held the line, at least for another year.
Orlando made its big move last summer, pushing its chips in for Desmond Bane. That was supposed to elevate the team into contention. That Orlando finished with 45 wins (a four-win improvement from 2025!) and the 8-seed was bitterly disappointing.
Most teams would have looked at some massive changes following that kind of a season.
So why did the Magic hold the line? Weltman gave an explanation when he joined the broadcast of Sunday's Summer League game in Las Vegas.
FULL interview with President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman on @ESPNNBA 🎙️@AdventHealthCFL pic.twitter.com/v1rLP6ppKd
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 13, 2026
"We're really excited about this season," Weltman said on the broadcast. "First and foremost, with all teams, we hope for health. We lost a lot of guys for a lot of games last season. The stretches that we were able to provide ourselves with health, we performed at a pretty good level. We felt it was really important, especially with the age profile of our team, try to understand what we have and bring the group back."
Weltman has been insistent all offseason that this team's potential was hidden behind all the injuries. The hope is that swapping coaches and adding Nikola Vucevic with his limited cap resources would help resolve some of the team's issues. The bigger thing they need is health.
But there was at least some evidence to support the notion that the team just needed to be healthy to reach its potential.
Returning Lineup and New Context
This offseason's biggest assumption is that the Orlando Magic just need to see their full starting lineup together.
The Magic's opening-night starting five of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter had a +11.6 net rating in 182 minutes and 19 games together. The team's 117.3 offensive rating and 105.7 defensive rating together are more than enough to compete at the highest level.
It was the ninth-best starting lineup to play at least 150 minutes together in the NBA. And it was a group that did not get rhythm or many opportunities together.
That group proved itself in the Playoffs too. That group had a +14.7 net rating (115.5/100.8) in 61 minutes in the Playoffs. It was the best non-San Antonio Spurs lineup to play at least 50 minutes together in the Playoffs.
Even just looking at the Magic's three main players, the team had a -0.7 net rating according to DataBallr when all three were on the floor. But they had a +2.3 net rating with Banchero and Bane together without Wagner; +5.2 net rating with Bane and Wagner without Banchero; and +21.2 net rating with Banchero and Wagner without Bane.
The Magic's theory is that they just need to get their player together more often. Then it is about finding the right combinations.
That is where the hiring of Sean Sweeney may create some different contexts to help unlock another level. Orlando is hoping that a new coach can help this young team reach a potential that they have not had on the court together quite yet.
A Hungry Young Team?
That is ultimately what the Orlando Magic are investing in. They believe they have a young team that is worth staying invested in.
The strong starting lineup numbers suggest there is something to build on. Ultimately what the Magic are betting on is that this is a young team that will keep growing and improving.
Their starting lineup had an average age of 24.8 years old. Adjusted for minutes played, the Magic had the third-youngest roster in the league at 24.0 years old. That should give some room to improve and grow.
Weltman is giving this team one more chance to take that step.
"Our starting lineup is one of the youngest in the NBA," Weltman said on the ESPN broadcast Sunday. "When you think about Paolo and Franz and Anthony Black and even guys like Jalen, they have been togehter for a while, but they are still very young players. They are still pre-prime."
The Magic are hopeful that a new coach in Sean Sweeney can unlock the next level for them. He has a track record of working with and improving young players. That is one of the things they were surely enticed by when they hired him.
But there is another clear factor.
Last season did leave a bad taste in their mouth. This is an ambitious group that believes they can do big things in the NBA. They are as disappointed as anyone that they have not delivered yet.
And they are disappointed as much as anyone for coming up short in last year's Playoffs.
"I think our guys are hungry," Weltman said on the ESPN broadcast Sunday. "We have been in the playoffs each of the last three seasons. One and out. The first year against Cleveland within the last minute of Game 7. This year, having had a 3-1 lead, losing Franz and still being competitive for the remainder of the series. They are hungry and ready to break through. They have been very attached this summer, receptive to the new coaches and eager to get back and run it back."
This Magic team has been overlooked all offseason. They are no longer considered a favorite. Plenty around the league are curious about when the team might consider bigger changes.
They are getting a rare opportunity to run it back and try again. That is not something the NBA typically affords a group. But when it does, they get that one extra opportunity.
The Magic cannot afford to keep spending at these levels and seeing first-round exits. It is on the Magic to prove them wrong.
Weltman has given them the chance to do so. And he is confident that it is the right choice for his team.
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