The Orlando Magic’s starters will get most of the attention, but the bench could end up shaping the season just as much. If these three players deliver, Orlando will have a second unit that matters.
Anthony Black looks like the clear top reserve. The Magic’s sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft took another step in the 2025-26 regular season, posting career highs across the board with 15 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Those numbers have climbed in each of his three seasons, and he also logged a career-best 29.8 minutes per game while appearing in 64 contests and starting 40 of them.
Black already showed he can handle a bigger workload, and that matters here. He can give Orlando production whether he’s coming off the bench or filling in as a starter when needed.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Nikola Vucevic give the Magic some flexibility at center. Carter started all 78 of his games played in the 2025-26 regular season and finished with 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 51.2% from the field. Vucevic, meanwhile, split the season between Chicago and Boston.
With Chicago in 2025-26, Vucevic put up 16.9 points, nine rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on 50.5% shooting from the field and 37.6% from deep, starting all 48 of his games. His numbers dipped after he moved to Boston, where he played 16 regular-season games and made one start. His scoring, rebounding and passing all fell off there, along with his shooting percentages.
That’s why the backup center role behind Carter makes sense for Vucevic. If he can settle in as a bench scorer and keep the shot making steady, especially from three, he could be a real asset for Orlando. He also gives the team a starting option if needed.
Tristan da Silva rounds out the group. He averaged 9.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in the 2025-26 regular season, while shooting 45% from the field and 37.4% from three.
Every one of those marks improved from his rookie season in 2024-25. He also stayed on the floor, playing in 77 games with 34 starts, compared with 74 games and 38 starts the year before.
If da Silva keeps showing up and keeps knocking down threes at that rate, he should continue to be a useful piece off the bench for Orlando.
In Other News...
Magic Suddenly Face More Pressure On A Roster Decision They Can't Delay
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers for cap circumvention involving Kawhi Leonard sent a clear message across the league, and it is one the Magic cant ignore as they sort through their own roster business. Los Angeles lost five future first-round picks, absorbed a $30 million fine and saw owner Steve Ballmer and executive Lawrence Frank hit with suspensions, while Leonard was fined $700,000. For teams trying to build sustainably, the ripple effect matters, especially for clubs with young talent and looming decisions on how aggressively to spend.
Orlando is in that group because restricted free agent Anthony Black is part of a summer conversation that cant be put off forever. The Magic have to balance cap flexibility, roster continuity and the cost of keeping a promising young piece in place, and the Clippers punishment is another reminder of how quickly team-building paths can narrow. In a league where the margin for error is thin, those choices only get more important when the rest of the NBA is watching every workaround with fresh suspicion. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Black Just Made Orlando's Next Roster Decision A Lot Tougher
Anthony Blacks breakout season gave the Magic something every front office wants and rarely gets so cleanly: a young guard whose rise is no longer theoretical. He averaged 15 points per game and showed clear growth as a two-way presence, turning himself from an intriguing piece into a player Orlando has to factor into every long-term conversation.
Orlandos problem is that the better Black looks, the trickier the roster math becomes. The Magic already have salary cap commitments tied up with key players, which could push any extension decision down the road until 2027, even as the team continues to evaluate where Black fits and how central he should be to what comes next. The upcoming season now feels less like a test of whether he belongs and more like a referendum on just how expensive that answer might become. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Doubts Are Growing Around Orlandos Quiet Offseason
The Magics offseason brought more continuity than drama, with Orlando choosing to keep Jonathan Isaac and Jevon Carter while adding Nikola Vucevic, Malaki Branham and JD Davison. It was a quiet approach for a team that also said goodbye to Moe Wagner and Jett Howard, and it left plenty of the core discussion centered less on new faces than on whether the familiar ones can take another step.
Law Murray of The Athletic reflected that uncertainty by nudging Orlando down in his latest power rankings, from No. 14 to No. 16, as the season approaches. The concern is less about talent than about the mix of injury history and inexperience surrounding first-time head coach Sean Sweeney, with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane carrying a heavy burden to make the roster look like more than a cautious offseason bet. [Read more 🡒]