Preseason is not the best way to measure a team’s talent. Players went a long time without playing together, new additions are taking the court with their new teammates for the first time, and the games do not matter. Things don’t usually go as they will in a few months.
And yet, preseason performances should not be ignored completely. The Orlando Magic’s first game against the New Orleans Pelicans is no exception. It was not a terrible game—the Magic ultimately only lost by two points—but it was also not an inspiring performance.
Orlando struggled from the 3-point line, converting only 9 of the team’s 36 attempts from behind the arc. Even Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could not get a three to fall. That much at least should change soon. Caldwell-Pope has been a reliable three-point shooter for several years now, and there is no reason to believe that putting on a Magic jersey somehow took away his shot.
Three-point shooting was not the only problem, though.
The game was a reminder that the Magic did not address the team’s playmaking issues
Next to 3-point shooting, playmaking was the Magic’s biggest issue last season. Even Paolo Banchero said in an interview after the season that he would like to have a table-setter on the team to help carry the playmaking load. Banchero and Franz Wagner have to carry a lot for the Magic as the team’s primary scorers and creators.
The Magic did sign a traditional point guard, bringing veteran Cory Joseph to Orlando. Joseph is not in Orlando to play big minutes, though. He is more of an insurance in case the Magic see little to no improvement from their young guards. Even in the Magic’s preseason opener, Joseph played only eight minutes. In those eight minutes, he put up 9 points on 3-4 shooting from the field, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Joseph was one of only three players who played at least five minutes and did not commit a turnover. The other two players were Tristan da Silva and Jett Howard. For everyone else, turnovers were a big problem. The team totaled 22 turnovers throughout the game—two more than the total number of assists the team racked up.
Especially Jalen Suggs struggled to take care of the ball. In around 21 minutes of playing time, he racked up five turnovers. That is not a great number for the team’s starting point guard, especially paired with only two assists.
Suggs is not a traditional point guard and will have to work hard to grow into his new role. The Magic obviously want to give him a chance to see if he can get there and be the player to help Banchero and Wagner with the playmaking. While internal development is important for a team as young as the Magic, not addressing the team’s playmaking issues over the offseason was risky.
In this first game, it looked like the decision could come back to haunt the Magic. According to Jamahl Mosley, Suggs also struggled with turnovers during training camp. The 2024-25 regular season is almost here, and the Magic will have to figure out how to run a functioning offense soon. Every regular season game will count, especially if the Magic do not only want to return to the playoffs but secure homecourt advantage this time around.
The Magic have three more preseason games left to figure things out. On the bright side, youngster Anthony Black dished out a team-high four assists while leading the second unit. Maybe he is where the Magic will find a point guard in the making.