The defining moment of Wendell Carter's season came early in a November game against the Utah Jazz.
The Orlando Magic were clinging to a one-point lead after some Paolo Banchero heroics. The Utah Jazz had a last chance to steal back the win. Jordan Clarkson drove along the baseline and attracted several defenders, freeing Talen Horton-Tucker for a wide-open three.
Carter was one of the players trying to close out the shooter. That took him far away from the basket. As the shot went up, he went toward the free-throw line as the rebound caromed high off the back iron.
Carter was in a perfect position to get the rebound. He just had to go up and get it. Wendell Carter jumped higher than Paolo Banchero and Kelly Olynyk fighting for position in front of him. Carter came down with it and secured possession, drawing a foul in the process.
But the rebound had consequences. Wendell Carter broke a bone in his hand on the rebound, leaving the game immediately because he knew something was wrong and leaving rookie Anthony Black to shoot his free throws for him.
It is fitting that his most important rebound was the thing that hampered him throughout the season. Because, entering the 2024-25 season, the most important thing Carter can provide to this team is improved rebounding.
And a healthy Carter should be a much-improved rebounder.
Undoubtedly, Carter's health is the biggest story entering the 2025 season. Carter missed 20 games after injuring his hand in early November. He admitted after the season he rushed back to join the team in its playoff hunt and share in their success. He had surgery on the hand in November and then had a second surgery on it after the season ended.
His numbers suggested he had a season to forget.
He averaged 11.0 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game, both lows since joining the Magic in the 2021 season. His 6.9 rebounds per game were a career low for him. He was tied with Banchero for the team lead in rebounding.
It was disappointing considering Carter averaged 8.8 rebounds per game in 22 games with the Magic in 2021 and 10.5 and 8.7 rebounds per game in 2022 and 2023.
Carter may be slinking out to the perimeter a lot more and the Magic may be more willing to switch with their center a bit more, but it should not pull Carter that far away from the basket. He should be far more active as a rebounder.
Indeed, while he was still a force on the offensive glass with a 9.3 percent offensive rebound rate, his defensive rebound plummeted from 25.3 percent in 2023 to 22.7 percent last year.
Rebounding was always a perceived weakness for the Magic, but largely because they were a gang rebounding team without one dominant rebounder.
Orlando finished second in the league with a 73.7 percent defensive rebound. Orlando gave up only 12.1 second-chance points per game, the second-fewest in the league. Orlando had a 75.7 percent defensive rebound rate in the playoffs. So despite those early gaudy rebounding games from Jarrett Allen early in the series, the team did not have a rebounding problem.
The statistics do not support the perception the Magic were a poor rebounding team.
Orlando still worked as a rebounding team even without Carter at his best. But the Magic would like some more reliable rebounding from Carter. And in a playoff race that is going to be extremely tight, every rebound is going to matter. Every possession is going to matter.
The Magic need to see Carter's rebounding rebound
Despite Carter's decrease in his raw numbers, he was still a solid rebounder overall.
He averaged 6.8 defensive rebounds per 75 possessions, placing him in the 81st percentile in the league according to Basketball Index. He averaged 10.65 defensive rebound chances per 75 possessions (74th percentile). He had an adjusted defensive rebound success rate (this factors out times when he defers rebounding opportunities to teammates) of 71.90 percent, putting him in the 82nd percentile.
Of course, Carter was largely in the 90th percentile in many of these categories in the 2023 season—averaging 8.15 defensive rebounds per 75 possessions, 13.21 defensive rebound chances per 75 possessions and a 69.80 percent adjusted defensive rebound success rate.
Perhaps the problem for the Magic is Carter is not as involved on the glass as much because he is playing on the perimeter and switching more or because he is not worried about rebounding as much because Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner or Jalen Suggs have become more involved with their rebounding.
Carter will still get his share of rebounds. But it is clear too that Carter has to get himself more into the fray. Doing that will enable the Magic's guards to get up-court quicker in transition and lockout supposedly easy shots around the basket since he would be dominating the glass as a center near the basket.
There are so many indicators that Carter's hand injury was slowing him down and perhaps making him less willing to be physical on the interior. A healthy season could lead to a restoration of his rebounding and his willingness to mix things up.
There is no doubt that Carter has a lot riding on this season. He is due for an extension after the season. And that makes him the only Magic starter who would not be on a long-term deal. He has to bounce back this season.
Being a more dominant and involved rebounder will help the Magic on several fronts. And it is the biggest area for him to improve this season.