The Orlando Magic's 2026 season will likely go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.
The Magic were one of the clear winners in the offseason, pushing their chips in to acquire Desmond Bane. They felt like they had two All-Star-level players to anchor the team. And the path in the Eastern Conference opened up with the injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton limiting two contenders.
Everything was aligning for the Magic's return to the top.
The team needed a little bit of time early in the season to find its footing. But the Magic showed their potential at various points. This team could be at the top of the mountain.
And then . . . Paolo Banchero strained his groin in a November game against the New York Knicks, causing him to miss a week. Franz Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain in the second trip to New York in December, leaving a lingering injury that defined his and the Magic's season for the next four monhts. And even Jalen Suggs caught the bug, straining his hip in the NBA Cup matchup against the, you guessed it, Knicks in Las Vegas.
Orlando's season was defined by what the team did not have at various points during the season. The team never saw its full roster together.
That has been the itch the Magic have been unable to resist all offseason. They stuck by the belief that their starting lineup was among the best in the league. Orlando did not feel like it was putting its best foot forward all season.
That does not appear to be merely public posturing and belief. It appears to be what the team actually believes as one Magic executive told Keith Smith of Spotrac at Summer League:
"We truly believe we have everything in place on the roster. Sean [Sweeney] is going to help drive things forward. For the players, they needed a new voice. They also need to stay healthy," an Orlando front office executive told Spotrac. "I'm not sure if this is good or not, but a lot of our injuries to our guys are weird stuff vs. being chronic things. So, we feel good that we’ll figure that out. All the numbers show that when our five starters are together, that they are one of the best lineups in the league. We just need to see it happen a lot more often."
This is what the Magic's season rests wholly on. It rests on this belief that the team had enough and they suffered a season so full of injuries that they did not get to see the full potential of their roster.
Teams have seasons where injuries overwhelm them, and they bounce back with better injury luck the next year. The question is whether Orlando has earned that trust. And whether this team can deliver when everyone is doubting that this was the right move.
The starter reasoning
The defense of the Orlando Magic's starting lineup has been the argument of the entire season.
The Magic's starting five of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter had a +11.6 net rating (117.3 offensive rating/105.7 defensive rating) in 182 minutes together. It was the ninth-best lineup by net rating among lineups that played at least 150 minutes.
But 182 minutes is relatively nothing. Even the Atlanta Hawks' starting lineup that was formed after the Trae Young trade logged 391 minutes in 30 games. Orlando's starting five got only 19 games together.
Only 12 lineups that played 150 minutes played together in fewer games. And many of those were not the team's primary lineup. This was indeed a team hit hard by injuries to key players. And the team never really got right, especially with Wagner's prolonged absence.
That was not even the only lineup that succeeded.
A lineup with Tristan da Silva playing for Franz Wagner had a +10.8 net rating (116.1/105.2) in 259 minutes in 24 games. That was the most-used lineup for the Magic last year.
The lineup with Anthony Black in for Franz Wagner had a +6.9 net rating (109.8/102.9) in 238 minutes in 21 games, the second most-used lineup for the Magic last year.
The most-used negative lineup was with Anthony Black in for Jalen Suggs at -4.7 points per 100 possessions (110.1/104.8) in 115 minutes and 15 games.
This is simply not a lot of time together. For instance, the Detroit Pistons' starting lineup played 536 minutes and 42 games together. The New York Knicks' starting lineup played 541 minutes together (at a +2.3 net rating).
Orlando was struggling to establish a clear rotation. That is what all of this signifies. Teams should want their starters together as much as possible.
It is very fair to say the Magic did not get to put their best foot forward last year.
The Playoffs seemed to prove this potential too.
The Magic's starting lineup had a +14.7 net rating (115.5/100.8) in 61 minutes across the first four games. It was the fourth-best lineup in the Playoffs that played at least 50 minutes (out of 20 lineups) and the best non-San Antonio Spurs lineup in the playoffs.
There is at least something there for the Magic. Is it enough for the team to stake its future on it? That is what the Magic are betting.
The injury-filled season
Everyone can acknowledge, everywhere around the league, that injuries are the biggest factor in a team's ultimate success.
The Boston Celtics also blew a 3-1 series lead. They could point to Jayson Tatum's injury as one reason that slowed them down.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's title defense hit a snag with Jalen Williams playing in only 33 games last year and five games in the Playoffs. Ajay Mitchell also got hurt during the Western Conference Finals.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets both dealt with injuries during the first-round playoff series. Luka Doncic returning before Kevin Durant helped the Lakers advance to the second round.
Injuries are part of the game. And every team will face some kind of adversity.
Teams can have injury-cursed seasons too. It is about how they overcome that and find a way to fill in. Depth still matters. And that is perhaps the biggest question facing the Magic.
Orlando is very confident in its starting lineup and its top eight players. The Magic and their staff seem very confident in what they have built. They just want to see it on the floor.
Add us as a preferred source on Google