The Orlando Magic are poised for major improvements this season, but their success may hinge on the growth of key players not named Paolo Banchero.
While Banchero is expected to lead the charge, the Magic’s hopes of becoming true championship contenders and finishing among the top three in the Eastern Conference rest on several critical X-factors who’ve shown notable development this offseason.
Franz Wagner, Tristan da Silva, and Goga Bitadze all turned heads during EuroBasket, with Wagner and da Silva capturing gold medals. Now, the challenge is translating that momentum into the regular season and elevating Orlando’s already promising young core.
During Media Day, president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman said he’s excited for their growth following the summer
“I saw growth,” Weltman said. “I think we all saw it. It's so exciting to see young guys just continue to evolve when they're about all the right things. “Franz is able to explore leadership elements and carrying a team, and what it means to be on that stage with that kind of pressure.”
“It's all kind of just continuous breakthroughs for him,mentally, emotionally, understanding, you know, the length of the season, the duration of these storms, those tournaments, those games come at you pretty quickly, so I think it's great growth for all of them.”
Outside of Wagner, both da Silva and Bitadze played key roles in helping the Magic reach the playoffs. Each stepped up when Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs battled injuries, logging valuable minutes and gaining critical experience that could translate into bigger contributions this season.
“I think to see Tristan within that tournament, grow as a player and get more comfortable and figure out, where his spots are going to be, I think it’s reflective of his IQ and his understanding and ability to kind of slot in and help,” Weltman added.
“I think Goga had a great summer, I thought he was really impressive. He's gotten bigger. When Goga came out in the draft, he was a shooter, and you know, the league does funny things to you.”
“So finding yourself and growing and figuring out how you can apply that. And I think that those are all elements that you can work on in tournaments like that. And I think, hey, Georgia did stuff that they haven't done before. So I know he's really excited about their team and his summer, and he looks good.”
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