Orlando Magic
The 2024-25 Orlando Magic can be defined by overcoming a litany of injuries to lose in the first round of the playoffs all the same.
What did we learn?
Led by Paolo, the Magic flew out of the gates.
Paolo Banchero played phenomenally over the first five games of the season, which might seem ridiculous to bring up now, if not for the fact that in one of those games he scored 50! FIDDY.
That 50-burger announced his and the Magic’s arrival as a true force in the East, but then Paolo got hurt in the very next game and would miss the next two months.
Franz Wagner picked up the slack in the biggest way possible, leading the Magic in scoring in 17 of the next 20 games, including that improbable and wild comeback vs. the Lakers in LA.
Then Franz went down, too, for over a month, and the Magic were without their two best players.
It didn’t even stop there. At the beginning of January, the Magic lost Jalen Suggs, who would play one more game the rest of the season, and Moe Wagner was done for the season on Jan. 9 with a torn ACL.
Somehow, someway, the zombie Magic kept finding a way to stay afloat.
They pulled it off thanks to the strength of their defense, one of the top defensive units all season long. The offense, on the other hand, even when they had all of their guys, was seemingly always stuck in the thickest mud. Orlando offensive possessions were like pulling teeth.
Eventually Paolo and Franz returned, but it took some time for all of the pieces to gel and get their sea legs back, especially without Suggs. (Suggs honestly might be the most important player to the Magic’s current operation on both ends of the court.)
Over the last month of the season, the Magic were able to find their way and got in a groove once again. From March 13 to the final game on April 13, Orlando went 11-5 with the No. 2 defense and No. 6 net rating over that stretch.
The Magic ended up at .500 exactly. The No. 7 seed in the East with a Play-In date with the Hawks, where they took care of business in a big way, rewarding themselves with a first-round matchup vs. the defending-champion Celtics.
That first-round series with Boston was a ROCK FIGHT. The Magic in no way rolled over and gave up. They went down swinging every game, battling as best they could.
It’s important to remember that they did all that without Suggs. And without 3-point shooting.
3-point percentage for the 2024-25 Magic:
Paolo: 32.0%
Franz: 29.5%
KCP: 34.2%
Suggs: 31.4%
WCJ: 23.4%
Yep.
The Magic have a winning defensive-oriented formula in place.
Now they just need to find some shooting and offensive production.
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Additional Notes
It was KCP’s worst 3-point shooting season since 2015-16, back in his third season in the league with Detroit.
Anthony Black dropped from 39.4% from 3 in his rookie season to 31.8% this year. The Magic need him (and everybody else) to dial in from distance. But KCP and Black have both proven they can be good shooters.
Rookie Tristan Da Silva deserves more flowers for playing 74 games and starting 38 games (!!) this season, filling in as the zombie Magic were left with limited options. And shoutout Goga Bitadze who started 42 games as well.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
Play the MF song. Over 47.5 wins.
Magic 2024-25 record: (41-41)
Nope. Not with all those injuries.
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What’s Next?
The Magic have two first-round draft picks at No. 16 and No. 25 from Denver.
As previously mentioned, 3-point shooting and consistent offense is a MUST. [UPDATE: HELLO, DESMOND BANE!!! He couldn’t be more perfect for what they need.]
The most important note here from our cap guru at ESPN, Bobby Marks, is that “Keeping this roster intact will be expensive. With the first years of Franz Wagner's and Suggs' extensions set to begin, the Magic project to be over the luxury tax by $19 million, over the first apron by $11 million and just $1 million short of the second apron. (Those projections include Orlando's two first-round rookie contracts.)” — Yikes… Safe to say that not everybody’s team option is getting picked up.
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Favorite Magic Highlight of the 2024-25 Season:
An insane step-back game-winner in LA.
