With the Orlando Magic about to open preseason and the regular season not far behind, the spotlight naturally falls on the top of the roster - Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner. Those three have only shared 30 games together, so the early chemistry questions are obvious. But the other part of the puzzle is just as important: what does Sean Sweeney’s first bench group look like?
One of the clearest answers is Anthony Black. He made a significant jump last season, and while there’s a chance he spends less time as a reserve than expected, the default read is that he opens the year as Orlando’s sixth man unless injury changes the picture. Black averaged 15.0 points on 54.9 percent true shooting and should be the engine for the second unit when it comes to creating shots.
Tristan da Silva also looks positioned for a meaningful role. The second-year German wing was one of the team’s better perimeter threats last season, hitting 37.4 percent of his 4.2 three-point attempts per game.
He also averaged 9.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in his sophomore NBA season and handled spot-start duty well. He may not carry the same long-term ceiling as some of the other young pieces, but he gives the Magic a flexible option who can fit into different lineup looks.
Goga Bitadze’s importance should grow, too. With Izaiyah Nelson injured and Moe Wagner gone, Orlando needs a dependable backup center behind Wendell Carter Jr., and Bitadze is the obvious answer.
He put together a productive 2025-26 season in limited minutes, averaging 5.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in just 15.2 minutes per game. His offensive rebounding, screen setting and rim running are enough to keep him in the rotation.
Gary Harris also remains a useful part of the mix, especially because he gives Sweeney a proven defensive-minded guard who fits the kind of culture Jamahl Mosley valued last season. The bigger question is his three-point consistency. Harris has been streaky from deep over the last five seasons, shooting 38.8, 42.1, 32.9, 33.3 and 36.3 percent on similar volume.
Caleb Houstan’s role is easier to define. The third-year German swingman was one of Orlando’s better shooters last season, knocking down 37.4 percent of his 4.2 attempts from beyond the arc per game. That kind of spacing gives the Magic a real weapon off the bench, even if his overall ceiling remains part of the broader conversation.
As for Wendell Moore Jr. and Noah Penda, their standing at the back end of the rotation is still up in the air. Sweeney may end up leaning into Penda’s intangibles, but both players appear to be near the bottom of the pecking order for now.
Jonathan Isaac’s place in the rotation is also worth watching. He has never played more than 40 games in any of his first four seasons, yet he was a major part of the Magic’s postseason group because of the energy he brought. He impacted the game on defense and on the glass, and while scoring is not his calling card, his ability to give 10-15 minutes a night could make him a real wild card for Sweeney.
In Other News...
Magic Fringe Players Have One Early Chance To Win Sean Sweeney Over
With the preseason opener against Memphis looming, the Magic are at the point of the calendar where roster battles start to matter just as much as the score. First-year head coach Sean Sweeney is still sorting out what he has, and that gives the group of fringe players a real opening to make an impression before the games begin to count.
Rookies Jalen Richardson and Penda Sy are among the names worth watching, along with Jamal Cain, who is trying to carve out a steadier place in the picture. For Orlando, this early stretch is less about polished production than showing enough growth, energy and reliability to suggest a bigger role can be earned once the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Sweeney's Defensive Vision Could Change Everything For The Magic
Sean Sweeney made it clear this week that the Magic are not building their defense around a single look. Switching will be part of the plan next season, but only as one tool among several, with the staff aiming to tailor coverages to matchups and whatever lineup combinations are available on a given night. It is a useful reminder of how much Orlando values versatility, not just in its personnel but in the way it wants to defend.
Sweeney compared the approach to a pitcher mixing pitches, and the analogy fits the challenge ahead for a roster that can be asked to do a lot of different things. The real question for Orlando is not whether switching works, but how often it should be used and what other schemes can be layered around it when the opponent or the rotation calls for something else. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Two-Way Battle Could Create An Unexpected Roster Opportunity
Colin Castleton and Alex Morales will spend this season bouncing between the NBA and Osceola as the Magic continue sorting out the back end of their roster under new head coach Sean Sweeney. Both are on two-way contracts, which means their development will be shared between Orlando and the G League, and that arrangement should give the team a closer look at two players with different paths but similar urgency. On the Osceola side, Ronnie Burrell will be the new head coach guiding that process.
Morales is entering his second season on a two-way deal and is trying to show he is ready for an NBA role when the Magic need one. Castleton, meanwhile, is back on another two-way contract and looking to stay healthy enough to make the most of whatever chances come his way. For a team trying to sharpen its depth, the competition between the two could quietly become one of the more interesting subplots of the season. [Read more 🡒]