Orlando Magic coach Sean Sweeney is still learning his team. He is still getting to know the players and how best to use them, even as he establishes the foundation for the offensive and defensive system he is implementing through training camp.
One thing astounded him about Wendell Carter.
Carter is working on earning his pilot's license, not a small feat for such a big person and following up on one of his charitable endeavors which aimed to introduce aviation at the high school level in Orlando.
But what stood out to Sweeney about this pursuit was Carter's description of what a pilot does. Carter said pilots have to be ahead of the plane. They have to anticipate what comes next and be able to adapt quickly.
That is a solid enough metaphor for the job Carter is undertaking once again as the team's anchor at center.
"They have to do a great job understanding all parts of the defense," Sweeney said after practice Thursday. "You see, with all the great centers, they are quarterbacks with their communication and they are talking through things. They have to be alert to everything and be strong in our fundamentals. We do want to be a multiple coverage and multiple scheme team, they have to know it. They are at the hear tof everything we do."
The Magic are not considered to have the strongest center rotation.
Carter is a solid but unspectacular center who does not always get credit for his quiet defensive work. Nikola Vucevic is an offensive-minded big with many defensive questions to answer. Goga Bitadze is an impactful defender with consistency issues.
Orlando has had one of the league's best defenses. At its best last year, the Magic were a physical and devastating team. But the key to the Magic's success this year will likely come down to how their centers play. And how they quarterback the team.
The Middle Linebacker
Sean Sweeney compared the center within his defense to a middle linebacker.
He recounted visiting the Seattle Seahawks' training camp years ago and noted the middle linebackers and how they quarterbacked the defense. They had to watch everything in front of them and anticipate what was coming next.
That is what the center position has become in the NBA.
They see everything in front of them and can communicate to the perimeter defenders what is coming. They are also the last line of defense at the rim.
"They want us in the paint as much as possible," Wendell Carter said after practice Thursday. "It's going to change no matter who we play. But for the grand scheme, and what we really want to do, is protect the rim as much as we can. Offensively, it is about being great facilitators and trying to be in the right place at the right time, communicating, helping guys understand where to be at. As bigs , we are behind the play most of the time and have a clear visual of the floor."
Last year, the Magic were 13th in the league in defended field goal percentage at the rim, according to data from Second Spectrum, giving up 63.2 percent. They were 11th in the league with 21.9 field goal attempts per game.
In 2025, when the Magic were second in the league in defensive rating for the season, they ranked ninth at 61.9 percent and third with just 20.4 attempts per game.
Defending the rim well and preventing shots at the rim is a key aspect to the Magic's defensive success. That is something the team needs to revive.
Carter is not viewed particularly as a great rim protector. He is not flying around and blocking shots. But his positioning has always been good.
He finished last year giving up 58.6 percent shooting at the rim, among the best marks on the team and 13th out of 22 players to face 3.0 attempts per game at the rim and play at least 24 minutes per game and 50 games.
Sweeney praised Carter for his attention to detail and his commitment to getting everything right. He said Carter has asked good questions and has shown a commitment to be where his team needs him.
That is what the Magic need at center.
"It's more intensity," Carter said after practice Thursday. "More attention detail, more higher standards, calling people out when they are wrong no matter when it is, what time of the game, what time of the play. I think it's that accountability thing. That's the main difference. We're going to call you out and get it right."
Carter said the team is working defensively on "appropriate heat." Carter is focusing on reducing his fouling.
The goal for the defense, he said, is to make it feel like the opponent is playing 5-on-6. The Magic are hoping to be that kind of swarming defense.
Continuing to evolve
No position has gone under as much of a revolutionary change as the center position. With the evolution of offenses, bigs have to do more and more.
The Orlando Magic brought in Nikola Vucevic for his bit of offensive boost and his ability to space the floor. But Vucevic comes with his defensive limitations.
Goga Bitadze is an excellent rim-protector, but does not offer much offensively aside from rolling hard to the rim. He has tried to add a 3-point shot in his international play, but it has not translated to the NBA.
The bigger lesson remains that the team will need to adapt and evolve as the season goes on.
The team is learning the basics of what it is trying to run. Then it can adapt to what will help players be most successful.
"As bigs, a lot of it is being in the dunker [spot] and giving space for the guys on the perimeter to drive," Vucevic said after practice Thursday. "That's going to evolve as well, as we are continuing to build this thing. We are going to be put in different positions. It might be different for me a little bit because I can space and shoot. It's going to continue to evolve as the season goes on."
This is about the foundation. And while there are other players who play a big role, the center is still the foundation of so many things the team will try to do.
The foundations of what is successful on defense is still the same. The Magic are layering it on top of that, focusing on communication and effort most of all as they learn.
The early part of camp is getting the foundations down pat. And the center is at the, well, center of it all.
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