Throughout the Orlando Magic's 2023 season, the mantra for the team was to "level up."
They had finished their rebuilding 2022 season at the bottom of the standings, getting a feel for the culture of their new head coach. Jamahl Mosley, after a season-ending victory against the Miami Heat, challenged his team through the offseason and into the following season well before they got the No. 1 pick.
When Orlando completed its season with 34 wins, finishing .500 during the final two-thirds of the season, it felt like the team had accomplished that goal. Their new rallying cry was simply about making the playoffs the following year—the next level for this team.
The 2024 season was mission accomplished once again. The Orlando Magic "leveled up" again to win 47 games, reach the playoffs and push the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in their first-round series.
Orlando may have put the notion of "leveling up" to rest. But the idea remains.
The question for the Magic entering the 2025 season is how does the team "level up" from a playoff team to a contender?
There has already been a lot of ink spilled on this topic. Most of it has centered where it should: On the Magic's two stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
To be sure, the Magic will go as far as those two players will take them. And it is vital that Banchero takes the step up from star to superstar and Wagner steps up from quality young player to All-Star player.
There is still a lot of leveling up to do. And there are plenty of questions about whether the Magic will make good on their overwhelming promise.
The team's stars are important and they have to take their games to new levels. But for the Magic to reach their full potential they will need others to step up.
More immediately, they will need several supporting players on their roster to take a sizable leap. For the Magic to reach contender status this year, it will take a lot of players improving and taking sizable leaps in their games.
If Orlando finds itself competing for homecourt advantage in the first round or in the running to win the Eastern Conference entirely, it will be because several key players on the margins made big leaps too.
3 Players who will change the Orlando Magic from playoff team to contender
3. Jalen Suggs
As things stand, most of the questions facing the Orlando Magic center on Jalen Suggs. Regardless of whether he ends up signing a new contract before the season begins, it is a pretty big season for the young guard as the Magic put a lot of responsibility on his plate.
Orlando has opened the path for Suggs to expand his game in meaningful ways. In fact, the team appears to be betting a lot of its season and its future on Suggs hitting a new level on offense to match his all-defensive team efforts.
There is no secret Orlando needs a point guard and playmaking.
Observers watching the Magic's playoff series lamented the Magic's lack of production from the guard positions. Jalen Suggs averaged 14.7 points per game but just 11.3 points per game in the four losses. A 10-point, 2-for-13 showing in Game 7 that Franz Wagner's difficult game overshadowed. And Gary Harris averaged a paltry 4.2 points per game on 31.8 percent shooting from deep.
Paolo Banchero even publicly said he would like to see the team pursue a table-setter to relieve some of the playmaking responsibilities heaped upon him.
The Magic did not do that, spending the bulk of their free agency money on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to bolster their defensive backcourt. The decision not to re-sign or replace Markelle Fultz further turned point guard duties over to second-year guard Anthony Black off the bench.
If there is a perceived weakness for the Magic as they prepare for a second run to the playoffs, it will be their lack of a true point guard.
Then again, the Magic seem to believe in Suggs. And considering that he will at some point get his extension, they must feel pretty confident in his ability to grow into the point guard role.
Excuse those outside for being a bit skeptical.
Suggs averaged only 2.7 assists per game last year against 1.8 turnovers per game. He has averaged fewer than 3.0 assists per game in his last two years after averaging 4.4 assists per game against 3.0 turnovers per game in his rookie year.
Further, Suggs averaged 45.8 touches per game according to Second Spectrum, fourth overall on the team. The Magic did not run him like a point guard and he was not a heavy driver, especially after his heavy drive rookie season ended with him shooting such a poor percentage at the rim.
Suggs at least recovered that to shoot 52.3 percent on 4.5 drives per game.
In the playoffs, Suggs shot 40.0 percent on 6.1 drives per game. He also had 60.3 touches per game, third on the team. Orlando gave him more of those ball-handling responsibilities later in that series to ease some pressure off Banchero.
Suggs' growth as a shooter to 39.7 percent was his biggest leap. It made him a bigger offensive weapon in his third season. The Magic are hoping he maintains that level of shooting. But he also has to improve as a playmaker and creator.
So much of the Magic's season depends on Suggs' growth in that area. Otherwise, the team will have a massive hole they will have to fill moving forward as they try to climb into the contender tier.
2. Jonathan Isaac
There are a lot of people who have a lot of thoughts about Jonathan Isaac as a player.
On one hand, a large cohort believes Isaac is the best per-minute defender in the league. His impact defensively is something everyone can measure statistically. There are are lot of people who said they would have voted for Isaac for the all-defensive team if he were eligible.
Those numbers are laid pretty bare.
He averaged 1.9 "stocks" per game and 4.5 "stocks" per 36 minutes. The Magic had an astounding 102.1 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor, 8.7 points per 100 possessions better than the team's already sterling average. Opponents shot just 52.7 percent at the rim against him.
Isaac was an impact player with his presence alone. And the Magic, once assured of his health, spent a good chunk of their season trying to maximize whatever minutes they could get from him.
On the other hand, his detractors say he made that outsized impact in only 15.8 minutes per game. He played 20 or more minutes in just 12 games last year and more than 24 minutes in four games.
It is easy to be an all-out defensive specialist in limited minutes and while missing most back-to-backs during the year.
It is probably fair to wonder if Isaac can get through a whole season without any injury scares or restrictions considering he has not played a full season since his initial knee injury in January 2020.
Still, last year hitting 58 games with all his restrictions and precautions was a major step in his journey. Isaac is certainly hopeful he can focus on his play rather than injury maintenance or his health.
That appears to be what has happened this summer. And the Magic appeared to have moved beyond those restrictions late in the season when they used him as the backup center for the end of the season and felt comfortable enough to start him at center in Games 1 and 2 of the playoffs.
That may have shown some of his limitations—he works better as a weakside defender and shot-blocking roamer rather than trying to outmuscle bigger players like Jarrett Allen. But Orlando has long shown a willingness to get creative with Isaac.
They know the impact he can have and so Orlando is going to look for different ways to use him throughout the season. The question is whether he can scale his game up from 15 minutes per game to nearly half the game. Can he be the team's sixth man?
There is at least some proof of concept that Isaac still impacts games even when he plays increased minutes. The Magic should not take the criticism that he is coming in for a flash and dominating teams in short spurts as offensive. Isaac is dominating largely bench units and knows he is playing precious few minutes.
The Magic should be eager to increase his playing time.
Isaac's real impact though will come if he can expand his offensive game. Isaac averaged only 6.8 points per game in his limited minutes. He shot 37.5 percent from three though and a career-best 59.8 percent effective field goal percentage.
If Isaac becomes a more consistent offensive weapon in addition to bringing his defensive impact to more minutes, then that greatly changes the potential for the Magic. Not only because it means the Magic can get more creative with lineups, but it gives their already strong bench another huge boost.
Isaac is one of those players who can absolutely turn games and lift the Magic up a tier as a high-level role player and an elite defensive player.
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.
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.