Predicting the Orlando Magic’s stat leaders for the 2024-25 NBA season

Steals per game 

The Magic are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Forcing turnovers and getting steals is a big part of that, even if the number of steals per game does not necessarily reflect someone’s defensive potential. 

In Jalen Suggs’ case, it does. If anything, his average of steals per game undersells his defensive impact. Last season, Suggs led the team in steals per game, averaging 1.4 over 75 regular season games. 

As the Magic’s primary guard defender, he is well set up to repeat as the Magic’s leader in steals per game. He has some competition, though. Franz Wagner got his fair share of steals last season and is a somewhat underrated defender at the forward spot. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also gets his hands on the ball a lot, averaging 1.3 and 1.5 steals per game in his two seasons with the Denver Nuggets. 

Still, this will go to Suggs for now, as he is more than capable of averaging 1.5 steals per game. 

Blocks per game

Goga Bitadze got a big chance to play significant minutes last season in the wake of Wendell Carter Jr’s injury. The 62 games he suited up for, were the most in Bitadze’s career. The big man delivered defensively, averaging 1.2 blocks per game. 

If he gets another chance to play as many games, he might very well lead the Magic in blocks per game again. The more likely leader in this category is Jonathan Isaac, though. Isaac is a defensive phenomenon who could easily average two blocks a game if healthy. 

Unfortunately, he has not been healthy so far but that may be about to change in the 2024-25 season. Last season, Isaac played the second-most games of his career and entered the offseason without an injury to rehab. He is set up for a breakthrough year and that will include wreaking havoc defensively.