When the Orlando Magic walked away from free agency last summer, they touted the new shooter they were adding to the roster. They touted the championship experience they were adding as a way to elevate the team.
It was not everything the team was missing, but it was something that fit their culture and identity and would boost this team.
The Magic would be better because of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
They would feel it in the extra space he would provide with his elite 3-point shooting. They would feel it in the poise and composure he would bring as they advanced deeper into the season and made it to the playoffs.
With his 3-point shooting and defense, the Magic would fill a critical hole. They would be a better team.
For all the struggles Caldwell-Pope had in his first season with the Magic, all could be forgiven for how he finished the season and for what he could bring in the playoffs.
All that Caldwell-Pope might have promised should have been on display in the playoffs.
In a game where the Boston Celtics were playing without star forward Jayson Tatum, the Magic missed their opportunity. Caldwell-Pope missed his opportunity to prove why he is the veteran wing the Magic so desperately needed.
Not only did Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seemingly get drawn into a war of words with Al Horford after the Boston Celtics blamed him for the hard foul that led to Jayson Tatum's injury in Game 1, but he also failed to deliver the shooting the Magic need so desperately.
Caldwell-Pope finished with three points on 1-for-9 shooting, missing all six of his 3-pointers. With the Magic desperate for some offensive life as they tried to climb back from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter once again, their veteran leader failed to deliver.
This is what the Magic signed him for and in this critical moment, he failed to deliver as the Magic fell into a 2-0 hole with a 109-100 loss in Game 2.
"They are making an effort to prevent easy looks from there," Franz Wagner, 1-for-7 from three himself Wednesday, said after Game 2. "He's going to have nights like this. We'll all be better on Game 3."
A season-long frustration
This has been the biggest frustration with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all season. He is missing open shots and failing to give the spacing that the Orlando Magic need.
All six of Caldwell-Pope's three-point looks in Game 2 were solid looks. The kind of shots you expect your $66-million shooter to make. The exact shots they brought him in to make. All of those misses could have sparked the run and energy the Magic needed.
For a team struggling to shoot so much—7 for 29 (24.1 percent for the game)—it needed the relief it could have gotten from Caldwell-Pope.
That was the case throughout the year.
After shooting 40.6 percent from three in the 2024 season and shooting at least 40 percent from three in three of his previous four seasons, Caldwell-Pope made only 34.2 perent of his threes this season. That marked his worst 3-point field goal percentage since the 2016 season.
This is not what the Magic signed up for. But he provided hope that he was finding his way through. Caldwell-Pope shot 30 for 63 (47.6 percent) in the Magic's last 18 games of the regular season.
That did not carry over. In the end, this is the time of year they signed Caldwell-Pope for. They wanted his veteran poise and shooting in the playoffs to give them the chance to elevate their game.
That is not happening. Outside of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic have not gotten any consistent scoring from anyone on the roster. Most of all, the sharpshooter they invested so much in.
The Magic have gotten the defensive spark they wanted from him. Despite a bit of a lull midseason, Caldwell-Pope has been very reliable on defense. He has added to the Magic's cadre of strong defenders and helped anchor the team as the No. 2 defense in the league despite missing All-Defensive team player Jalen Suggs for most of the season.
Still, that is only half of his value. The Magic signed him for his shooting and he has failed to deliver at all points this season.
"He's defending his tail off, running around, flying around," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Game 2. "They are running him off the line and they are flying at him. They are highly contested shots. His ability to keep finding it, keep stepping into it the same way we know he can."
The Magic have maintained confidence in Caldwell-Pope. They still must turn to him to deliver shooting. There just are not enough good options off the bench to support the team from deep. Certainly none with the same defensive composure Caldwell-Pope has.
A target for the Celtics
But Wednesday's game came with more intrigue too.
The Boston Celtics were peeved with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's hard foul on Jayson Tatum in Game 1. They made that known. And fans booed Caldwell-Pope every time he touched the ball. He egged them on at times.
But Caldwell-Pope lost his cool when he was called for a foul for tripping Horford as he was getting out on the break in the second quarter. Horford continued to accuse him of dirty plays, saying the trip was intentional. The two teams needed to be separated as tempers flared.
The Magic have mostly brushed aside the conversations about the flagrant foul called in Game 1. It is part of the series and part of a physical series to them. The Celtics have used it as fuel.
A rough shooting game only adds fuel to the fire. The Magic are not going anywhere without him though. He remains a key part of this series.
All they can do is trust
All the Orlando Magic can do is keep finding him when he is open and keep trusting him to make shots when he is open.
If Orlando is going to climb back into the series, the team needs Caldwell-Pope to be a part of the equation.
"He's been here before," Wendell Carter said after Game 2. "He understands what it takes. Whether he is making or missing shots, we know we can rely on him to play awesome on-ball defense and be that vocal leader for us out there. We understand that, as a shooter, you have off nights. We're not worried at all. We understand he is going to bounce back."
Caldwell-Pope could easily bounce back for a redemptive game in Game 3 on Friday. That could make everyone forget this poor game on the road and put aside some of the frustrations from throughout the season.
It has been a frustrating season though for everyone.
This was the moment the Magic thought Caldwell-Pope was made for. In Game 2, he failed to deliver.