3. Oops, All Arms Lineup
PG: Jalen Suggs
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Paolo Banchero
C: Jonathan Isaac
The Orlando Magic's starting lineup feels very settled at this point. Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. are the base group that everything the Magic build will branch off of. There will be a lot of variations of this lineup.
The obvious one is to add Jonathan Isaac to the lineup somehow. That is something the Magic began experimenting with more of throughout last season. Orlando could not get enough of Isaac. And a lot of these lineup ideas are frankly all about finding ways to get Isaac more involved.
If Isaac is on a minute restriction of some sort, the Magic are going to be spending their time trying to figure out how to maximize those minutes.
Of course, one of the fun and goofy lineups the Magic will likely pursue is a lineup that uses their length, size and speed to its fullest extent. They want to have players who can switch 1 through 5 if they can. They want players who are versatile and enveloping defensively.
Size, length and positional versatility is the team's guiding philosophy. And this is a lineup that emphasizes all of that with how quickly its four top defenders can get after anyone on the court.
Last year, the four-player lineup of Suggs, Wagner, Banchero and Isaac had a net rating of +0.4 points per 100 possessions in 103 minutes. Like most of the Magic's lineups, it struggled offensively even if it was near elite defensively. That is something Isaac can provide.
Orlando is hoping Caldwell-Pope can boost the Magic's shooting and spacing and give them a bit of an offensive uptick. Much like how Wagner's advanced stats seem to bring out the best in the Magic's offense, I think that very quickly everyone is going to realize how much having Caldwell-Pope on the floor enhances what the Magic do on the floor.
But what makes Caldwell-Pope so enticing is his defense and his ability to fit perfectly into this Magic philosophy. From an on-court perspective, Caldwell-Pope will be the perfect addition. And he could help the Magic unleash some wild lineups.