3 Reasonable fears for the Orlando Magic's 2024-25 season
By Elaine Blum
2. There is little or no internal growth
This fear sort of goes hand in hand with the previous one. The Magic are a young team and naturally need their young players to keep improving. That includes Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and mainly their three-point shooting.
More so, it is about Anthony Black and Jett Howard, though. Black mostly just played meaningful minutes when other players were injured, and Howard spent most of his time in the G League. Neither one got a chance to impact the playoffs.
And still, it seems the Magic are high on the two youngsters. Both could fill a role for the team next season if given a chance. The Magic need shooting, which is Howard's specialty. They also need someone to play point guard and the hope is that Black can provide some of that.
Orlando drafted Black with the sixth overall pick, and he fits the team's defensive identity incredibly well. The goal should be to have him develop into a building block and rotational player sooner rather than later.
He should be getting a chance to play more next season, especially if the Magic let Markelle Fultz walk in free agency. It would be concerning if he, and Howard for that matter, cannot show some improvement, even though they theoretically still have time. Practically, Orlando might need their contributions, however. Injuries might push one or both of the youngsters into bigger roles than expected and the Magic might not be able to afford taking a step back over any stretch of time.
Plus, once extensions for Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Paolo Banchero kick in, having young contributors on cheap rookie contracts will be incredibly valuable for the Magic.
Black and Howard are not the only ones who have work to do, however. In the end, the Magic’s success will not come down to their performances. Jalen Suggs could improve as a playmaker, Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac could improve simply by being healthy and available, Franz Wagner needs to work on his shot, and Paolo Banchero should work on turning the ball over less., for example. The core of this team is incredibly young. Everyone still has room to grow and needs to keep improving. This will only get more difficult from here on out.