The excitement for the new NBA season is growing, especially among Orlando Magic fans. They are expecting another successful season. Wins won't just be handed to the Magic, though. The team will have to continue improving to keep up with the best in the Eastern Conference.
Much of the offseason discussion has focused on what Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have to do to lead their team to success. After all, they are the stars and will decide the team's ceiling. They are not the only ones impacting the 2024-25 season, though. Some role players will be just as important.
3. Wendell Carter Jr.
Wendell Carter Jr. had a down year last season, dealing with a hand injury. Once the offseason arrived, the notion that the Magic needed an upgrade, that Carter Jr. was not their starting center of the future, surfaced. He is not a rim protector, not necessarily a big threat offensively, and has been dealing with injuries for his entire career.
Despite some team's suggested interest in Carter Jr., the Magic decided to hang on to him. Going into the 2024-25 season, he should be the team's starting center, just like last season. A lot hinges on the next season for Carter Jr.
He will have to bounce back from last season's down year, not only to solidify his standing as the Magic's starting center but also to help the team win. The East has about eight teams potentially eying a top-six seed. That means, there is little room for error.
Can Carter Jr. stay healthy? Can he improve his offensive production? Can he establish himself as the Magic's center of the future? All of these questions will have huge implications for the Magic's 2024-25 season as well as for the long-term future.
The Magic need Carter Jr. to help with the effort to improve the team's offense, and if he can establish himself as the team's starting center past the 2024-25 season, it would save the Magic from having to make a trade for someone else.
2. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will start his tenure with the Orlando Magic with a lot of eyes on him and expectations to live up to. Signing him was the one big move the Magic made this offseason. He is supposed to bring championship wisdom and strong 3-and-D play to Orlando.
Caldwell-Pope may be a role player, but he is also one of the most important Magic players going into next season. The veteran has two elite skills: defense and 3-point shooting. The Magic value the first, but it is the latter they desperately need him to excel at.
Last season, the Magic played with little spacing. Jalen Suggs was the only player shooting over 39 percent from three on more than two attempts per game, and opposing defenses did not respect him like they would a proven veteran volume shooter. The lack of spacing hurt the Magic, especially in the playoffs.
One of the easiest ways to improve the team's offense is by adding reliable floor spacers. That is where Kentavious Caldwell-Pope comes in. He shot over 38 percent from three for five straight seasons.
Much of the Magic's offensive success will hinge on whether Caldwell-Pope can take and hit enough threes to increase the team's scoring output and space the floor for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
1. Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs' role with the Magic next season has been widely discussed this summer. A lot of people figured the Magic would get a starting-level, offensive-minded point guard to help with the playmaking and scoring. Tyus Jones, Malik Monk, and D'Angelo Russell were some of the names thrown around.
It would have made sense for the Magic to get someone like that—someone who can create for themselves, set up teammates, and add a scoring punch. Instead, the Magic decided they would give Jalen Suggs a shot to fill the starting point guard role.
A backcourt duo of Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a dream come true for all fans of defense. Offensively, it promises good 3-point shooting but not much playmaking. Suggs has shown promise as a playmaker early in his career, but not much since the Magic drafted Paolo Banchero and put the ball in his hands.
Now, Suggs will have to prove that he can be a better playmaker and help run the offense. Otherwise, the Magic might find themselves in the playoffs, unable to get good looks offensively and struggling to outscore opponents despite playing great defense. Or, they might find themselves forced to make a move at the trade deadline.
Suggs is not the only one who has to step up as a playmaker—Anthony Black and Cole Anthony could also shoulder a heavier load off the bench—but he is the biggest piece to the puzzle. He is the third piece of the Magic's core right now, and the best way to solidify that position is by continuing to expand his offensive game, especially since he is still waiting on an extension.