The Orlando Magic are heading toward training camp with more questions than just the usual early-season noise. Yes, the spotlight still falls on the big names - Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs - but this team’s next jump will also depend on the players around them delivering more, and more consistently.
That’s especially true for Wendell Carter Jr.
Now entering his ninth NBA season, Carter is at the point where another real developmental leap feels difficult to project. Still, the Magic could use one.
He was steady last season, appearing in 78 games and averaging 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 51.2% from the floor. He also had several strong playoff outings, but Orlando needs more than steadiness from him.
The fit with Sean Sweeney’s offense makes Carter’s shooting a key issue. Sweeney’s system leans heavily on spacing, and Carter’s 3-point numbers have not given the Magic much help there.
He has some perimeter ability, but his career mark of 31.6% from beyond the arc leaves plenty of room for growth. If he can become a more reliable shooter out there, he becomes a much more useful piece in Sweeney’s scheme.
There is also the question of whether Carter can simply raise his level overall. In last season’s first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, he had a 14-point, 17-rebound showing in a 113-105 Game 3 win. That’s the version Orlando needs more often.
Tristan da Silva is another player who could shape how far this group goes.
The 25-year-old forward is entering his third year, and that season should tell the Magic a lot about how much he can be trusted in the rotation. Over the last two seasons, da Silva has been leaned on heavily, and the results have swung back and forth. Last season, he played 77 games and made 34 starts, finishing the regular season with averages of 9.9 points, 45% shooting from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.
The problem came when the games got bigger. In the playoffs, his production fell to 4.1 points per game, with shooting splits of 37.9% from the floor and 31.3% from deep. Like Anthony Black, he needs to show he can hold up in higher-leverage moments, because that matters for him and for Orlando.
Those are the kinds of answers the Magic still need before the season gets rolling.
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Magic Training Camp Will Show If This Team Is Ready To Matter
The Magic are heading into training camp with a clearer sense of what needs to happen next, and it starts with turning a promising young core into a more complete team. Under new head coach Sean Sweeney, Orlandos next step is less about talent identification and more about execution, with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs all central to the push for better offense and sturdier defense.
There is real growth potential here, but the Eastern Conference will not wait for a team that is still sorting out its identity. Orlando has to sharpen its 3-point shooting, raise its scoring punch and tighten its defensive rating if it wants to move from interesting to genuinely relevant, and camp will be the first real test of whether this group is ready to make that jump. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Camp Battles Could Leave Proven Veterans Fighting For Minutes
Training camp is setting up as a real sorting exercise for the Magic, with Sean Sweeney taking over as coach and several rotation spots still up for grabs. Orlando is facing competition at center and in the backcourt, and that kind of logjam can make even established veterans sweat when the reps start getting divided.
For a team trying to settle on its identity early, the challenge is not just finding the right combinations, but deciding which proven pieces can still carve out consistent minutes. Camp will offer the first clues, and for some players the margin between being part of the nightly plan and slipping into a smaller role could be awfully thin. [Read more 🡒]
Jase Richardson Has A Real Opening In Orlando He Must Seize
Jase Richardson did enough in his rookie season to hint at why the Magic liked him in the first place. The 6-foot-1 guard showed he could finish efficiently at the rim, flashed scoring touch, and made the most of the chances he got while playing behind veteran guards, posting 4.4 points per game and hitting 47.3 percent of his shots from the floor.
For Orlando, the appeal is obvious: this is a team still looking for more offense from the backcourt, and Richardson has a path to earn more of it. The question now is whether he can turn those brief bursts into something steadier, because his role is still far from settled and the next season will be about making the most of every opening that comes his way. [Read more 🡒]