Everyone seems to have their take on the Orlando Magic. Many outlets have projected them to land anywhere from a top-4 seed next season to fighting for a spot in the play-in.
As is typical in the NBA, your star players and health are the biggest X-factors in your season, but they are far from the only factors. And the Magic are no different.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are the keys to making Jeff Weltman's decision to triple down on the roster this summer look like the right move, but several other people will have a major hand in whether the Magic are competing in the East this year or not
Let's take a look at the top 5 X-factors for the Magic that people may be forgetting
5. Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic was the only player the Orlando Magic added this summer who is projected to be in their rotation.
Last season, Orlando's bench was a bottom-five unit across the board, and the Magic need Vucevic to provide some of the 2nd unit scoring punch that has been missing for almost two full seasons.
Vucevic reportedly left larger offers on the table to take the minimum and return to Orlando. He is one of the players who hold the keys to the second unit bouncing back this season.
The Magic will have to camouflage his defensive shortcomings by having players like Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Isaac or Anthony Black on the court with him. But whoever shares the floor with Vucevic will appreciate both the space created by his shooting ability and his ability to finish in the paint.
Lineups with Desmond Bane and Nikola Vucevic with Paolo Banchero should provide the spacing Orlando has been looking for over multiple seasons.
His skill set has him primed to score off the bench, provide spacing and finish at the rim. He instantly becomes one of Orlando's top rebounders. He can also provide spot starts if there are injuries in the center rotation
That is massive value for a player on a minimum deal, but it is not often a team signs a player who averaged 15 points and eight rebounds the previous season to a minimum.
Orlando's roster construction demands a good second unit in order to win and Vucevic' offensive game and rebounding ability are major X factors in that happening.
4. Jevon Carter
Jevon Carter will play a smaller role than Nikola Vucevic, but he could have a big impact on the season, assuming he beats out Jase Richardson in their anticipated training camp battle for backup point guard.
Let's start by looking at what Carter does really well: He has been a high-level perimeter defender his entire career. He is a good mid-range shooter and is a player defenses cannot ignore. But most importantly for this team, he is an experienced veteran and understands NBA basketball.
The most consistent criticism over the summer was the Magic's inability to get the ball to Paolo Banchero in his prime spots.
Carter, as a player, looks to get his shot first, but he is fully capable of getting players the ball in the right spots. In his first training camp in Orlando, he can help Jalen Suggs continue developing that skill.
Carter is also the only player on the Magic with Finals experience, having played with the Phoenix Suns in 2021. He has played in 53 playoff games overall -- significantly more than anyone else on the roster -- all very valuable experience for a young team still looking to win in the playoffs.
3. Anthony Black
Anthony Black is as valuable to the second unit, as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are to the first.
Injuries forced Black into the starting lineup, and the bench could not function without him, resulting in massive, unsustainable regression as a unit.
The loss of his scoring was a hurdle the second unit from last season could not overcome.
Because of this, even if there are injuries for Orlando this season, Black should not be moved out of the second unit.
Black proved last year he could function within the first and second unit, making him a big X-factor for the team overall.
In his minutes with the second unit he will be looked at as the scorer.
In his minutes with starters he showed he was very comfortable sharing the court with Paolo.
His ability to play positions 1-3 make Black extremely versatile and highly valuable to any game plan and his scoring ability make him undoubtedly the biggest X-factor for the Magic's second unit.
2. Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs has been stuck in a whirlwind of offseason chatter all summer long.
So much so that his tangible improvements as a lead guard, like a career-high in assists per game, flew under the radar.
The structure and discipline that people anticipate Sean Sweeney will bring will help Jalen Suggs tremendously.
Every Orlando Magic fan has heard someone call Suggs the heart and soul of the team, and a big reason for that is that every single lineup is statistically better with him in it.
The Magic will need Suggs to continue shooting close to 40 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts, continue improving as a lead guard, and increase his assist-to-turnover ratio.
Even though it has not gotten much coverage, the Magic were not an elite defense last season, and getting back to that is the top priority.
Orlando will need Suggs to lead the charge on that objective, and learning how to use his energy and natural ability on the defensive end in a more controlled way is important for the Magic to be the best version of themselves.
Suggs' all-NBA-level defense, along with his continued improvement as a point guard, is one of the biggest X-factors of the entire season
1. Sean Sweeney
Sean Sweeney was the coach every team wanted this summer. But he has never been in the lead chair. He must be the biggest X-factor on this list
His defensive prowess has been widely reported, and needs to be as advertised for the Orlando Magic to accomplish the one goal that will unlock their ability to achieve their other goals
Get back to an elite defensive team
Last season, Orlando fell to 12th in defensive rating. If the Magic are not a top-10 defense, they will not accomplish any goals they are setting out to complete.
Sweeney is expected to correct that, immediately.
He will also be tasked with continuing to unlock this team offensively. He will need to design an offense to maximize a group that has struggled to shoot and make life easier for the star players.
It is hard to argue the offense was well designed when Paolo Banchero was a perimeter ball handler, Desmond Bane was a low-volume shooter, and Jalen Suggs was taking more pull-ups than catch-and-shoot attempts.
Sweeney has worked with several players previously who have become household names, and he is expected to help players like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner unlock that level of their games
Sweeney has a lot of pressure to deliver immediately in the form of tangible playoff series wins and the biggest X-factor this season is how he handles his first foray into the lead chair.
Add us as a preferred source on Google