Orlando Magic confidence meter: How confident are Magic fans heading into 2025?
The Starting Lineup
With a h/t to @FearTheSword. Let's do an offseason confidence meter! Follow the thread and let us know your confidence in the #Magic this season.
— Orlando Magic Daily (@OMagicDaily) September 8, 2024
Vote on how confident you are in each element (and comment, if you'd like):
How confident are you in the starters?
The Orlando Magic made one major change this offseason. They added a starter to their group in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. That seemingly cements this starting group as the Magic's starting group for some time.
The criticism, if there is any, in adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is that he duplicates too much of what Gary Harris did in the starting lineup last year. He does not improve the team's playmaking or creation. He doubles down on what the team is already good at defensively. But he certainly adds some shooting.
There is at least some logic to that. Orlando's starting lineup last year of Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter had a net rating of +12.5 points per 100 possessions with a 114.7 offensive rating and 102.1 defensive rating.
That is an elite defense and a better-than-average offensive rating. That group should be better adding a player like Caldwell-Pope to the mix.
Among lineups that played at least 300 minutes (the number of minutes that group played together last year), the Magic's starting lineup ranked third in the league. The Magic did not necessarily need to spruce that group up. Once they found their groove, they dominated.
Orlando is hoping that carries over into a new season and that the team can have better health fortune—especially with Carter—to use that lineup more frequently. It is a versatile group and one the Magic should have a lot of confidence in, perhaps for years to come.