It is nearly time for the Orlando Magic to enter training camp in preparation for the 2026-27 NBA season, and several questions remain as the team tries to take another step.

Can the Magic remain healthy? Will the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs be enough to match up against other teams with superior star power? 

Will Sean Sweeney, in his first season as head coach, be able to implement a coaching strategy honed over years as an assistant and apply it successfully? These are some of the bigger questions, but plenty of others exist as well. Let’s dive into a couple of them: 

Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. is entering his ninth NBA season, which makes it harder to believe he has another developmental leap in him.

However, that is what the team could use from him.

Carter is not a bad player by any means. In 78 games last season, he averaged 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 51.2% from the floor. He also had multiple solid playoff performances, but there are areas he can improve.

For instance, Carter can space the floor to some degree, but his low 3-point shooting percentage does not help him or his team much in that regard. Sweeney’s offensive philosophy is heavily predicated on spacing, and if Carter can become a better perimeter shooter, he will be valuable in Sweeney’s scheme.

The 27-year-old former seventh overall pick has only shot 31.6% from beyond the arc throughout his career, but maybe he can develop that part of his game.

Additionally, it would be good for Orlando if Carter could improve his production overall. Against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of last season’s playoffs, he put together a 14-point, 17-rebound performance in a 113-105 Game 3 win.

At his best, that is what Carter is capable of, and the Magic need more of that version of him.

Year three for 25-year-old forward Tristan da Silva will be crucial in demonstrating how much of a role he can play for this team.

Over the last two seasons, da Silva has been relied upon heavily. At times, he answered the call, and at others, not so much.

He is coming off a season in which he played 77 games and made 34 starts. By the end of the regular season, he had averaged 9.9 points and shot 45% from the floor and 37.4% from 3-point range. 

But in the playoffs last season, his numbers dropped precipitously (4.1 PTS, 37.9 FG%, 31.3 3PT%), and like Anthony Black, he needs to prove he can perform in higher-leverage moments. It is not just for his sake, but for the sake of the team.