Despite an underwhelming start to the season thus far, the Orlando Magic are at .500 in the Eastern Conference, good for 10th place in the standings. The team had high-seed aspirations after bringing in Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane but the team got in a funk to begin the season. However, things are looking up for Orlando.
Bleacher Report gave every NBA team’s starting lineup a grade for their performance throughout the young season. Surprisingly, the Magic received an ‘A’ grade despite their mediocre record.
“The scoring struggles, marked by a plodding, station-to-station approach, aren't issues when this lineup is in the game,” the article wrote. “The Orlando Magic's preferred starters own an 83rd percentile offensive rating, which is all the more impressive in light of its 16.3 percent turnover rate. Orlando makes up for those wasted possessions by relentlessly attacking the rim, which has produced a 33.3 percent free-throw rate. The league average is just 22.7 percent, so these starters are a huge reason the Magic make about five more free throws per game than their opponents. When you know your bench is going to have a hard time scoring, that's a hugely significant buffer. Bane has yet to find his form from long distance, and Banchero's preference for mid-rangers leaves money on the table. That said, this group is clearly not the source of the Magic's substandard offense. If the bench could ever pull its weight, a mid-tier offensive rating overall is still in play.”
The Magic needed to improve their perimeter shooting this season so they made the blockbuster deal for Bane. They have ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every three-point statistical category you can imagine. Despite signing three-and-d wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the 2024 offseason to fix their shooting woes, he regressed last season, forcing the franchise to make a change.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner entered this season as All-Star hopefuls. Both players are averaging north of 20 points. However, Banchero is shooting a career-low 25 percent from beyond the arc. Even though the sample size is quite small, the three-level scoring needs to improve.
Injury-prone defensive talents Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac made their return to the court recently but Isaac's shooting has been borderline amongst the worst in the league. Suggs is flirting with 50/40/90 shooting splits which is great to see. The offensive scoring has been the biggest weakness over the past few seasons and this year could mark the same.