At this point, the Orlando Magic are known as having one of the best quartets of lead players in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire league.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are seemingly surefire All-Stars in the Eastern Conference this year and the two pillars for this team. Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs are tough-nosed defenders who should provide more playmaking and shooting for a team desperate for both.
The Magic have a lot of other key role players that could play a major role this season.
Jonathan Isaac is always a potentially game-changing defender. Anthony Black still has a bundle of potential waiting to be tapped into. Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze are high-level bench players. Tyus Jones is a steady hand off the bench, too.
This Magic team has a lot working in its favor. And there are a lot of things the team should be able to count on.
The biggest X-factor for the Magic this season is someone who often gets overlooked. He is the glue that holds the team together.
Nobody seems ready to talk about Wendell Carter and his potential impact on this team. If anything, Carter is one of the key players who holds this team together. His versatility on defense makes him a true X-factor, especially if his offense bounces back.
Carter is in a position where he could become the outlet and safety valve for the offense. But mostly, his role will be significantly simplified. He will be key to holding the whole project together, filling in gaps on both ends. It is something that he should be perfect for.
And Carter completing the Magic's lineup could be what lifts them to meet their outsized expectations. A bounce-back season could be just what the Magic need.
Carter struggled in a rough year
Wendell Carter entered last year with one professed goal: To be healthy.
But just five games into the season, he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out for the next two weeks. It crushed him to deal with an injury early in the season once again.
But after that, Carter played the rest of the season, playing a career-high 68 games. He was reliable and available.
That was one goal accomplished. But his game fell off as he struggled to get himself fully back, particularly following a summer he had to sit out portions of recovering from surgery on his left hand.
Carter had his worst offensive season of his career in 2025. He averaged 9.1 points per game, the first time he averaged fewer than 10 points per game in his career.
He also struggled from deep, making only 23.4 percent of his 3-pointers. His 49.8 percent effective field goal percentage was the first time he shot worse than 50.0 percent since his rookie year.
Without a doubt, the first step for Carter is to be more consistent on offense. He needs to be a reliable safety valve. Teams are going to want to leave him open. He should have the space and time to make a bigger impact.
But Carter showed in the Playoffs he could still make an impact. He averaged 10.2 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game in the series. More than that, Carter showed his value in that series, making him critical for the team.
Carter's defensive versatility holds up the team
Wendell Carter does not do very much that stands out on the stat sheet. His career high in scoring average was 15.2 points per game in 2023. But what stands out about him is that when he is on, you barely notice him.
He rarely puts together the highlight reel that the elite defensive centers put out. But Carter is one of the best positional defenders in the league.
Carter was always a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type of player. That was what dinged him in the draft process and led him to struggle to find his footing in the NBA. He has slowly grown his skills.
But Carter operates and succeeds based on his positioning and anticipation. He does not overstep his bounds or take himself out of position.
Would it surprise you to hear that Wendell Carter trailed only Jonathan Isaac with a 57.8 percent defended field goal percentage? This is despite Carter not even averaging a block per game.
Carter's ability to switch was key to the Orlando Magic's defensive strategy to slow down the Boston Celtics' vaunted 3-point offense. And it will be a key part of the Magic's defense this season. Carter fits in wherever the team needs him.
Putting it all together is next
No one is pretending that Wendell Carter will suddenly click back on. He has to do the work and find consistency to be the player the Orlando Magic need him to be.
And to be sure, a lot of eyes will be on Carter this coming season. With four of the Magic's starters set and on long-term contracts, Carter is the one who has to prove his worth again. If the Magic need an upgrade anywhere, it is Carter's spot.
This is a big season for Carter to prove he can fit in with a championship-level team.
But Orlando will lean on Carter to fill in the gaps between those four players.
That means he will be a popping option and outlet on the perimeter. A dump-down option in the dunker spot. A player who must score when the ball swings to him because Carter is likely the lowest usage player in the Magic's starting lineup.
It also means he must be solid on defense. That is perhaps the most dependable thing he brings to the table and what the Magic will rely on most when their season begins. Carter is the arcstone holding up the Magic's defense with that versatility.
Not a lot of people are talking about Carter and his potential impact. But, realistically, he will bounce back and benefit from the spacing the Magic's new offense will provide. He will have to provide some of that spacing and be a threat from the perimeter.
A bounce-back season from Carter though would have a transformational effect too. And having an offense where all five players are legitimate threats and fit into their roles would make the Magic a much more dangerous team.