3 Players who will change the Orlando Magic from playoff team to contender

1. Wendell Carter Jr.

Most observers and fans believe the Orlando Magic have two needs they need to address to reach the title-contending tier.

The first is the aforementioned point guard question that hounded the team throughout the offseason. The other was a consideration at center.

With the Magic signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Franz Wagner and anticipated extensions upcoming for Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter's spot at center is the only one unsettled in the starting lineup.

Like so many players on the Magic, Carter needs a big season as his contract enters its final two seasons (he becomes a free agent in 2026). And Carter has as many questions about his place on the team as anyone else.

Everyone can acknowledge how difficult Carter's 2024 season was. He averaged 11.0 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game, both lows since he arrived in Orlando as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade in 2021.

Of note too, Carter played in only 55 games, also a low since his arrival in Orlando. He has played in more than 60 games just once in his career.

Injuries have played a large part in his career and were a big story in his 2024 season after he fractured a bone in his hand early in the season and admitted after the season he returned from the injury and subsequent surgery too quickly. Carter had a second surgery on his left hand early in the offseason.

Carter had less presence in the paint last year as a result. He seemed to settle for his outside shot—which was much-improved as a lone bright spot to his season as he made a career-best 37.4 percent of his threes. But his offensive impact and rebounding impact were inconsistent at best.

Wendell Carter still can be an excellent defender—opponents shot 58.4 percent at the rim against him which trailed only Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze on a strong defensive team. But he is not a classic above-the-rim center as a finisher or a shot-blocker. He is all about positioning. And his screening remains his biggest contribution, a skill that is difficult to encapsulate statistically.

There are fair questions about whether Carter can be the kind of center that helps them succeed in the playoffs. That is ultimately where the Magic need to see improvement and see themselves succeed. That is where a lot of their season will get judged.

And the team needs to see whether Carter can step up to the playoff stage. That starts with him being healthy once again and being available to play more regularly. That is something he has yet to prove consistently in his career.

If Carter is healthy, his defense and ability to space the floor as a shooter would be invaluable to the Magic.