The Orlando Magic have done plenty to reshape the roster, but one problem keeps hanging around: the 3-point shot.
That issue has dogged Orlando for years. Injuries have played a part, but the bigger headache has been the team’s inability to knock down perimeter looks with any kind of consistency in a league where life beyond the arc drives winning. The front office has tried to address it, and the addition of Desmond Bane is the clearest sign of that effort, but there’s still work to do.
There is reason to think some internal growth could help. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs could all take a step forward as shooters next season under new head coach Sean Sweeney.
Still, that burden can’t fall only on the team’s top names. If the Magic are going to clean up this weakness, the whole roster has to be more reliable from deep.
Orlando also added a familiar face in Nikola Vucevic, a veteran big who can stretch the floor. He owns a career 3-point percentage of 35% and hit 36.9% from long range last season.
The team brought back Jevon Carter as well. He shot 41% from beyond the arc with the Chicago Bulls last season, though that number dipped to 33.6% after arriving in Orlando.
Jonathan Isaac is back too. At his best, he has given the Magic a useful 3-and-D presence, but injuries and uneven play have kept that from becoming a consistent part of his game.
So what’s the answer for Orlando? In a conversation with RJ Saunders of 1010XL Magic, the idea centered on adding the kind of wing every contender needs.
"I think 3-and-D wings are invaluable in this league. You have to have them on your roster to win titles.
All the best teams have had those guys that can do that, and, I mean, the Magic's, you know, star power is set. And so, I don't think that going and getting a guy that can put the ball on the floor and create his own shot is the right answer.
I think that they're banking on Anthony Black to be that guy behind those, you know, the core group of players that they have. It's hard to say right now when I don't envision any more moves coming.
Now, the team did take a flyer on Malaki Branham and J.D. Davison; here in the offseason, signed both of those guys to Exhibit 10 deals.
But they're going to have to prove themselves, or they're going to get relegated to Kissimmee, you know, and play for the Osceola Magic."
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Anthony Black Enters A Crucial Magic Season With Plenty To Prove
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The next step is obvious enough: keep building on the gains while sharpening the parts of his game that still need work, especially his three-point shooting and free-throw touch. If the sides do not reach an extension, Black would be on track to enter next summer as a restricted free agent, which gives this season a little extra weight for a player whose long-term fit with the Magic already looks promising. [Read more 🡒]