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3 Keys for the Magic to be contenders in the Eastern Conference this year

Paolo Banchero loudly proclaimed the Orlando Magic are coming for the top of the Eastern Conference sooner rather than later. What will it take to actually get there though? There is a lot the Magic have to do.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Paolo Banchero has big ambitions for the Orlando Magic this year. And he holds a lot of responsibility in getting the Magic there.
Paolo Banchero has big ambitions for the Orlando Magic this year. And he holds a lot of responsibility in getting the Magic there. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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2. Jalen Suggs becomes a playmaker

The biggest need of the offseason went relatively unaddressed throughout the offseason.

Paolo Banchero was right that the team needed some playmaking relief to create easier opportunities for both Banchero and Franz Wagner. That lack of extra playmaking was one of the reasons the Magic lost their playoff series to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is not a playmaker to say the least. The Magic's biggest addition this offseason has averaged 1.8 assists per game in his career. He is a shooter and defender—a true 3-and-D wing—and not a playmaker.

All the playmaking will fall on Jalen Suggs. And as much as any player, the Magic's ability to improve offensively may fall on Suggs and his improvement as a playmaker.

He has a long way to go to get there. There will surely be growing pains this year.

Suggs averaged only 2.7 assists per game last year. After the All-Star Break, that increased to 3.4 assists per game. And in the playoffs, he averaged 3.3 assists per game.

Assists and passing was not the Magic's strong suit last year either. Orlando averaged 24.7 assists per game, the third-fewest in the league. The Magic averaged only 25.2 assists per 100 possessions, the fourth-fewest in the league.

According to data from Second Spectrum, the Magic averaged 279.2 passes per game (18th in the league, and an improvement from ranking 27th in 2023). They averaged only 44.1 potential assists per game (21st in the league).

Even if the Magic could make more shots, they still have a deficit to make up with their passing and playmaking. They still need to make sure they move the ball more effectively.

And that starts with their nominal point guard. Suggs' development as a playmaker and even as a game manager will be critical to moving the Magic out of the bottom 10 in offensive rating for the first time since Dwight Howard left.

Nobody really knows if Suggs is up to the challenge or whether the Magic can navigate a season successfully with Suggs as the team's full-time point guard. It is one of the biggest question marks for this team.

Ultimately, Banchero is right that the Magic need to find a decisionmaker and playmaker to supplement their offense. That was a need left unaddressed this offseason and has a lot of questions for the Magic to answer.

The team's short-term success may depend on how far along Suggs is.

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