The Orlando Magic are one of the younger teams in basketball with their average roster age at 24.4. Even with the youth of the team, Orlando has been a consistently solid Eastern Conference team over the past couple of seasons.
ESPN unveiled their latest 25 Under 25 ranking, highlighting the 25 best NBA players under the age of 25. Unsurprisingly, the Magic had a couple of players crack the list. The lowest ranked member of the Magic who made the ranking is guard Jalen Suggs at No. 21.
"The 47 games Suggs missed last season, which ended prematurely due to knee surgery, helped reveal his value to the Magic," the article wrote. "Orlando went 20-15 with Suggs despite injuries to its other stars and 21-26 without him. It's happening again this year, as the Magic are 13-7 with Suggs and 2-3 without him... First, he has to stay healthy. As is, Suggs' elite on-ball defense and comfort playing off the ball makes him a strong fit alongside the rest of Orlando's under-25 core. But that fit would be even better if Suggs gets back near the 40 percent he shot from three in 2023-24, which looks out of line with the rest of his career (33 percent overall)."
Suggs' injury history has been concerning throughout his career but it is promising to see him make the list. His defense and playmaking are among the best of any guard in the East. The next player to crack the list is Paolo Banchero at No. 13.
"With a career average of 28 points across 12 playoff games, Banchero clearly has the potential to be a No. 1 option, and the former top pick and Rookie of the Year has one of the highest ceilings on this entire list," the article added. "But Banchero has fallen 10 spots for two reasons: because of his continued inefficiency as a scorer and because this is the fourth consecutive season Orlando has a better net rating with Banchero off the floor. The Magic got off to a slow start with Banchero healthy but went 7-3 during his absence with a strained groin."
Like Suggs, Banchero's injury concerns have prevented him from being higher on the list. Finally, Franz Wagner was the highest ranked at No. 12, just one spot ahead of his teammate.
"Admittedly, putting Wagner ahead of three All-NBA players was probably overexuberant," the article concluded. "However, before suffering a high ankle sprain that will sideline him a few weeks, Wagner was nearly matching that production as the Magic thrived with him as their offensive focal point during Banchero's own injury absence. In particular, Wagner has excelled getting to the foul line this season, beating his career high by 1.6 per game."
It may be surprising to some that Wagner is ranked higher than Banchero but these three players will be integral to the Magic's prospects of winning a championship. All are under contract for the foreseeable future.