The 2026-27 Orlando Magic season is creeping closer, and the pressure is already starting to settle on a few key names. Orlando looks like a team trying to punch into the next tier in a crowded Eastern Conference, and that means some players will be watched far more closely than others.
Jalen Suggs is near the top of that list. Availability is the first thing hanging over him, because the numbers tell the story plainly: he appeared in 57 games in the 2025-26 regular season and 35 in 2024-25.
His high-water mark came in 2023-24, when he played 75 games. That kind of volatility puts the spotlight on whether he can stay on the floor long enough to matter every night.
When Suggs was out there in 2025-26, he produced. He averaged 13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 43.5% from the field and 33.9% from beyond the arc. But production only goes so far if the games missed keep piling up, especially with Suggs in the second year of a five-year contract extension.
That matters even more because Anthony Black is in a different contract situation. He’s set to be a restricted free agent this offseason, and his rise gives the Magic another option at point guard.
Black has taken clear steps forward across his three seasons, and in 2025-26 he played in 64 games with 40 starts. He averaged 15 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 44.7% from the field and 33.3% from three.
That opens the door to a real competition for the starting point guard role. If the Magic want to keep Black and Suggs doesn’t deliver, Black could end up with the job. For Suggs, the assignment is simple: stay available and back it up with enough production to hold onto the future that seemed to be his.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are under a different kind of pressure, but it’s pressure all the same. They are the faces of Orlando’s offense, and with the East looking tough and the Magic having finished eighth in the conference last season, the expectation is that they help push the team forward.
Banchero put up 25.9 points per game in the 2024-25 regular season, though he was limited to 46 games. Wagner averaged 24.2 points in 60 games that same season. Those are big numbers, and if both players can stay on the court and keep scoring like that, Orlando has a chance to make a serious jump.
The support around them should help, too. Desmond Bane and Black can draw attention, which gives Banchero and Wagner room to operate. And when one of them goes out, the offense still has enough firepower to survive.
Banchero handled the availability side better in 2025-26, when he played in 72 regular-season games. Wagner, though, only played in 34, which makes his ability to stay on the floor the bigger concern. That puts more of the burden on Wagner heading into this season.
Both are gifted scorers, and both have more room to grow offensively. If they can improve their shooting from deep, the impact should reach the whole roster. Orlando has a chance to make noise this season, and Banchero and Wagner are the players expected to drive it.
In Other News...
Nikola Jokic Just Put A Surprising Matchup Problem On Notice
Wendell Carter Jr. has quietly become one of the more interesting matchup pieces in Orlandos frontcourt whenever Denver shows up on the schedule. Against the Nuggets, Carter has done more than hold his own offensively, averaging 17 points per game against Denver as of the 2026 NBA season, and his ability to blend size, mobility, and skill gives the Magic a big man who can stay on the floor in a variety of looks.
Nikola Jokic has taken notice, naming Carter among the toughest defenders in the league, which says plenty about the kind of problem Orlando can create with him. Carter also flashed that value in a December 2025 game against Denver, when he posted a season-high 26 points while adding rebounds, blocks, and steals, a reminder that this is not just a defensive body check for Jokic but a two-way test the Nuggets have to prepare for every time. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Still Havent Escaped This Playoff Failure Under Paolo Banchero
The sting of last spring still hangs over Orlando, where a 24-point cushion in Game 6 of the first-round series against Detroit vanished in a collapse that ended the Magics playoff run. It was the kind of loss that lingers long after the final buzzer, especially for a team still trying to turn promise into something sturdier in the postseason.
Paolo Banchero has already acknowledged the shortcoming and pointed directly at the need for growth if Orlando is going to move past the first round. The Magic have not won a playoff series since 2010, so the next step is not just about talent or development, but about proving this roster can handle the pressure moments that have already escaped them once. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick White Rumors Put Celtics Fans On Edge For One Reason
Bostons decision to move on from Jaylen Brown has only sharpened the focus on the rest of its core, and Derrick White quickly became the name that stirred up the most nerves. The Celtics have gotten multiple inquiries about White, but they have made it clear they are not interested in dealing him, a stance that makes sense for a team trying to stay competitive while recalibrating around its best pieces.
For Orlando, the broader ripple effect is hard to ignore. The Magic are staring at their own financial crossroads with key players such as Paolo Banchero to consider, even as no trade is currently being reported, and the leaguewide chatter around guards like Darius Garland, Shaedon Sharpe and Ty Jerome shows how quickly roster planning can shift. In that kind of market, White is exactly the sort of player teams keep circling, which is why Bostons firm line has mattered so much to anyone watching for possible movement. [Read more 🡒]