ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Magic are off to a 2-5 start, and that’s not where they expected to be after seven games. But inside the locker room, there’s no sign of panic.
The biggest reason is simple: the roster hasn’t been whole. Paolo Banchero has missed the last five games, Jalen Suggs has been out for the past four, and Anthony Black has appeared in only four of Orlando’s seven contests so far. That kind of turnover at the top of the rotation changes everything.
Franz Wagner pointed to those absences after the loss to the Washington Wizards, while also acknowledging the challenge of learning a new system at the same time.
"I mean, we’ve got a couple of guys out," Wagner said. "I think we’ll figure out how we want to play and obviously playing a new system as well, I think it would help a little bit to play a little bit faster and get into our stuff a little bit quicker.
I also thought we missed a couple of good looks there in the third (quarter). Just have to make sure that we keep playing with confidence, it’s not going to be a perfect game."
The early schedule hasn’t made life any easier, either. Orlando has had to sort through injuries, a new approach on both ends of the floor and a difficult opening stretch all at once. That combination has kept the wins from showing up, even as the team believes the underlying progress is there.
Wagner said he still believes in what the coaching staff is building.
"I trust the coaches, you know what I mean? That we’ve got a good system, and we’re figuring it out.
Once we get it down, I think we’ll look really good and that’s part of the league, I think; going through some of these growing pains at the start. And Like I said, just keep trusting that once it comes together, I think we’ll be a really good team," Wagner added.
Head coach Sean Sweeney echoed that sentiment after Orlando’s 103-94 loss to Washington, praising the group’s fight even as the results continue to lag behind the effort.
"I would just say I thought the guys did a really good job tonight competing. I thought they did a great job trying to stick to it throughout the course of the game. You know, cut the lead in the fourth quarter down to I think three or four there a couple times," Sweeney said.
"Just couldn’t quite get over the hump. So, I thought those guys did a great job trying to battle through it on a back-to-back, tough schedule type of situation against a team that’s big and strong and got some good players - and get the day off and then get ready to go again."
Next up is a four-game West Coast trip, starting with Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns. The Magic and Suns are set for Thursday at 9 p.m.
ET at Footprint Center. Fans can watch on Magic TV 27 or WFTV Channel 9, and the game will also be available on DAZN and NBA League Pass.
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