Orlando Magic Muscle Watch: The most unbelievable weight changes before training camp

Many players for the Orlando Magic descended upon FBC Mortgage Stadium on Saturday to see UCF take on Colorado, alma mater to Tristan da Silva and Jamahl Mosley.

Training camp is truly around the corner. The Magic have gathered in Orlando and have started working out together in preparation for camp to begin. It is all starting to come together and basketball season is almost here.

It brings up everyone's favorite preseason project: Muscle watch.

This is not 20 years ago when players arrived to training camp out of shape and teams had to spend part of their training camp getting players back into shape.

Nowadays, players spend their offseasons working out intensely. Many teams host informal mini-camps where players get together before training camp begins to play and work out. In the modern NBA, most teams hit the ground running when camp starts and the coaches begin working with teams more formally.

The Magic have been sharing images of players in the AdventHealth Training Center all summer. And more and more of those players have been returned to Orlando in the last few weeks.

Getting ready for training camp is not a one-week thing.

And that is evident now in the annual statement: "Player X put on 20 pounds of muscle." Muscle watch is indeed on.

The Magic unveiled their training camp roster on Friday ahead of Media Day. And eagle-eyed Magic fans noted some dramatic weight changes (h/t X user @malikg).

That is not so surprising. Many of the Magic players are still very young and getting into weight training with the team for the first time.

Arnie Kander was one of the most positive additions to the team this year—he again hosted several Magic players in Boulder, Colorado, after Summer League for some cross-training exercises. This year was the first full year with the Magic and his first full offseason with the Magic.

The gains and changes are pretty evident, even by what the Magic are releasing as measurements (courtesy of the Orlando Magic's 2024 Playoff Roster and 2024 Training Camp Roster and RealGM's records):

No one should take weight loss or gain as the be-all, end-all of a player's strength—and clearly, players can put on weight during the season. But there are plenty of eye-popping changes from training camp last year—at least changes that the team is acknowledging, they certainly are not putting their players in a negative light.

Here are a few takeaways:

Caleb Houstan's transformation

While there is a lot of buzz about some new shooters entering the fray—from veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to last year's rookie redshirt Jett Howard to rookie Tristan da Silva—Caleb Houstan is still on the roster and remains one of the younger players on the roster with a ton of promise.

Houstan got ample playing time through all the injuries the Orlando Magic faced last year and showed signs as a shooter. Magic coach Jamahl Mosley nicknamed him, "The Machine," for his work ethic.

That seems to be evident with the massive weight gain the Magic have reported from him in the last year—and even within the year last year.

It is noticeable too in recent photos of Houstan:

Houstan remains one of the Magic's best shooting options, hitting 37.3 percent of his 3-pointers last year and a 59.5 percent effective field goal percentage on spot-up shots.

The Magic like him though because of his size and versatility on defense. That is something he brings that none of the Magic's other shooters bring. And putting on more weight will enable him to guard bigger players too.

Minor weight changes are usually something you can discard. But there was apparently a directive for Houstan to put on some muscle for the upcoming season. Considering how big it is for the rising third-year forward, Houstan seems ready to play multiple roles for the Magic and compete for his spot in the rotation.

Lighter Centers

If Orlando Magic fans were not seeking a point guard in the offseason, they had a lot of questions for the Magic's center rotation.

A lot of that focus might be on Wendell Carter, who has dealt with injuries throughout his career but is not a traditional rim-protecting center that others like.

Carter knows he has to be healthy to bounce back from his frustrating season last year. And that seems to be part of his focus for the upcoming season. How he plans to keep himself healthy is probably part of his offseason training.

It might also be why Carter has seemingly lost eigth pounds from last season.

But it was not just him. Goga Bitadze also shed 15 pounds from the beginning of last season. That would presumably make them both lighter and able to defend the perimeter and work outside of the paint, clearing the path for drivers like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to attack.

Bitadze was mostly paint-bound last year. The Orlando Magic simplified his role to be a paint and rim protector after the Indiana Pacers tried him out as a stretch-5. That potential for Bitadze to be more than a paint big remains though.

Bitadze told Mark Medina of SportsKeeda he is hoping to add a three-point shot to his game and be more explosive, thus the weight loss.

That seems like something the Magic are looking to build with their roster not just with Bitadze. And having bigs who are more mobile will help them.

Perimeter Defensive Strength

It is not just the centers who seem to be preparing for more work on the perimeter. The Orlando Magic's best perimeter defenders have also seemingly put on weight to be bigger impediments and stronger defenders on the perimeter.

All the weight gain appeared to happen during the season last year. But the Magic seem to be anticipating that these players will maintain their weight.

Jalen Suggs was already a strong player who could take hits defensively on the perimeter. He put on seven pounds last season to be listed at 212 pounds.

Similarly, Franz Wagner has been excellent defensively, especially with his ability to absorb contact and hold his ground as he slides in front of players. He gained 10 pounds during last season according to the Magic's listings. He again could be a wall preventing players from getting downhill.

And finally, Jonathan Isaac made good use of finally being healthy. He put on 10 pounds from last year and seven pounds since the Playoffs. Isaac has a lot riding on this season after his first healthy offseason since 2019. Being able to work on his body and his skills could elevate his game.

It will certainly be a new kind of season for Isaac and the Magic.

Even though the roster did not have a ton of changes, there are going to be a lot of players who seem to be looking very different as training camp begins.