The Magic’s first-round series against the Boston Celtics has not been going well so far. Orlando is down 2-0 and struggling to keep up with the Celtics’ high-scoring offense, even when Jayson Tatum missed Game 2. Nevertheless, just being in the playoffs is a valuable experience for the Magic and the experience shines a light on what they must do this offseason.
Most of the Magic’s needs are no secret, particularly the need for 3-point shooting. 3-point shooting has been one of the Magic’s biggest issues for a while now. It is why they signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the offseason. However, Caldwell-Pope has not delivered the shooting the Magic need, and the rest of the roster is struggling to hit threes as well.
So, the Magic will have to approach that issue again this offseason.
Better shooting could make the Magic a serious contender
The fact that the Magic could compensate for their lack of 3-point shooting well enough to make the playoffs is impressive. However, without improved shooting, the Magic are not a serious contender. In today’s NBA, shooting can make all the difference.
With Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic already have the basis for building a contender. They just need to put the right pieces around them and maybe take a page out of the Detroit Piston’s book.
On a recent episode of the Game Theory Podcast, Banchero and Wagner received a lot of praise, especially the former. With that praise came the question of why the Magic struggle so much offensively if Banchero and Wagner are so talented. Bryce Simon had a simple answer.
“They’re thirtieth in 3-point percentage, Sam. That’s why,” Simon said about the Magic’s offensive struggles. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that shooting is a floor-raiser for offenses. And I’ll give you the example. You know who was really bad in offensive rating last season even though they had a really good player that people are now finding out about? The Detroit Pistons.”
In the 2023-24 season, the Detroit Pistons ranked twenty-seventh in offensive rating and twenty-sixth in 3-point percentage—similar to the numbers the Magic put up this season. The Pistons finished with the worst record in the NBA that season. Just one year later, they finished the regular season sixth in the Eastern Conference and already got a win over the New York Knicks in their first-round series.
The difference is that the Pistons improved their 3-point percentage to seventeenth in the league and their offensive rating to fourteenth. Adding 3-point shooters like Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. helped the Pistons elevate their offense and shoot up the standings.
If the Magic want to build a legitimate contender around Banchero and Wagner, they need to find 3-point shooters to elevate the team’s offense. They already have the star power and the defense necessary to win at the next level. Improved shooting is the key to realizing the core’s potential.