Recent Magic first-round picks are poised for breakout 2024-25 season

There are many expectations for the Orlando Magic's 2024-25 season. Coming off a successful campaign that saw the team winning 47 games and making the playoffs, the hope is that they will be able to actually win a series. 

Paolo Banchero is already an All-Star, and Franz Wagner just signed a massive rookie extension. It seems the team should be ready to win at a higher level, especially after adding two-time champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

At the same time, this is still an incredibly young team. Caldwell-Pope and Gary Harris are the only players on the roster you can confidently call a finished product. Everyone else can still expand on who they are as NBA players. 

Some Magic players should be set up for breakout seasons. One of them is Anthony Black. 

The Magic seem to be preparing to give Black playing time

Last season, Black got to start 33 games despite being a rookie. He mostly broke the rotation due to injuries, but he still gained some NBA experience. Once the team was healthy, Black found himself stuck in the guard rotation behind Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, and Markelle Fultz. 

The latter is not on the team anymore, as the Magic decided not to bring him back in free agency. It seems that the Magic are trying to make room for Black to play. They are without a traditional point guard, and Black will get a chance to show whether he can act as one of the primary ball handlers off the bench. 

When he played last season, Black was not asked or expected to create much. His role was to play great defense and take any open shots opponents would give him on offense. That might change in 2024-25, and hopefully Black is ready for it. 

This is his chance to establish himself as one of the Magic's future building blocks.

Jett Howard should get his first shot to claim NBA minutes

As a rookie, the Orlando Magic did not deem Jett Howard NBA-ready. Rather than getting playing time with Jamahl Mosley's team, he spent most of his rookie season in the G League to develop. 

The patience seems to have paid off, as Howard looked good early in Summer League. He led the Magic's Summer League squad in scoring, showed some flashes as a passer, and shot 47.6 percent from three. While it was Summer League, and he did not necessarily lay against NBA-level competition, his overall shooting looked promising. 

Even with the additions of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tristan da Silva, who still needs to prove himself as an outside threat in the NBA, the Magic need shooting. Especially if Franz Wagner continues to struggle from behind the arc like he did last season, someone else will have to help stretch the floor. 

Jett Howard could be just that. He will have to earn his minutes, but after an entire season spent in the G League, he should at least get a chance to compete for playing time. The beginning of the 2024-25 season could very well be Howard's shot to establish himself as a rotational player. He may not end up playing huge minutes in the playoffs or any big games the Magic play in, but he could help the team during the regular season if given the chance. 

The Magic need to continue to develop their young talent, and the 2024-25 season could be an important step for Anthony Black and Jett Howard, as well as rookie Tristan da Silva.