The Orlando Magic Could Surprise Everyone During 2022-23 NBA Season
They may have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020, but the Orlando Magic really have not been a threat in the Eastern Conference since Dwight Howard was early on in his career and dunking on everyone.
In fact, since the 2010-11 season when the Magic went 52-30, they have had just two winning seasons and they have eclipsed 30-wins just four times.
Orlando has been rebuilding for quite some time now, but there is a reason to be excited if you are an Orlando Magic fan.
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond have been assembling core pieces through the years and drafting Paolo Banchero first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft may signify the coronation of a new era in Orlando.
Shocking everyone the day of the draft by keeping their selection secret, the Magic took Banchero over the likes of Jabari Smith Jr. from Auburn, the player many expected the Magic to select with their first overall pick.
Between Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren, you really could not go wrong with this draft, it was just a matter of fit and a front-office’s opinion. The addition of Banchero for the Magic though could very well take this franchise to new heights.
When you look up-and-down this roster, it is hard to overlook the fact that the Magic may just have the best young core in the entire NBA.
Moritz Wagner is 25-years-old, Gary Harris is 27 and Terrence Ross is 31, but everyone else that is currently under contract for the 2022-23 season is 24-years-old or younger.
Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Bamba, R.J. Hampton, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke and now rookies Caleb Houstan and Paolo Bancheor find themselves a part of what is a very deep looking roster that has loads of potential.
Who the centerpiece of everything will be remains a key question mark that will be answered throughout the 2022-23 season, but it is hard to overlook the fact that Paolo Banchero could very well be the No. 1 option for the Orlando Magic, especially after his impressive showing in NBA Summer League.
Playing in two full games in Las Vegas Summer League, Banchero averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot 40.7% from the floor, 50.0% from three-point range. He also averaged 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks, coming up with one of the more impressive blocks you will see with the game on the line in double overtime.
“I’ve been in the gym with [Banchero] a little bit already, seeing him out here, just doing what he does,” Cole Anthony told ESPN recently. “He’s going to help us a lot. And now I feel like we can really start building something.”
“That kid is so talented,” Anthony continued, “He loves the game. He works hard, and I think — he’s going to be really good.”
In back-to-back seasons, the Magic have won 21 and 22 games, respectively, which is why this young group has such a positive mindset heading into the 2022-23 season. The only way from where they are at right now is up and Orlando has all the confidence in themselves to succeed.
Many around the league may not be viewing the Magic as a real competitor in the Eastern Conference, but teams are aware of their young core and it is only a matter of time before things begin to click for this group.
“Cole [Anthony] showed what he is capable of doing last season, [Franz] Wagner was an All-Rookie First Team performer, Wendell [Carter Jr.] stepped up into a massive role for this team and we really did not get to see Jalen [Suggs] out there on the floor his rookie year due to injuries,” one Eastern Conference scout told Fastbreak. “Now they add Paolo Banchero to the mix, Markelle Fultz is healthy and Jonathan Isaac is coming back from his injuries as well. All of a sudden, this is a team that could wind up being a problem for many years to come.”
It takes time to build something special in the NBA.
The only problem is that time is such a valuable commodity that many organizations do not tend to have. Many front-offices around the league are put on tight timeframes to turn things around and succeed, oftentimes leading to some rash decisions and trades.
Sometimes you can win a championship by moving pieces around and leveraging future assets to bring in “win-now” pieces, but the vast majority of the time, the two teams that are in the NBA Finals fighting for the rights to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy are two teams who build reliable, All-Star-like cores.
Just this past year, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics were in the NBA Finals, two teams that have built their cores over the course of several years and added onto their depth by making a couple of trades here and there.
The Orlando Magic have not only done a terrific job of being patient as a front-office, but they have really excelled in terms of player development and helping their young players grow as basketball players and young men in society.
“They're so tied together,” Mosley said recently. “That's the great part about it. It's just organic with all these guys. They're just happy; they're always around each other. Wendell will be with Cole, and Wendell will be with Jalen, and Jalen will be with Paolo. They all create these great relationships over time and it's because they're all just good kids that like being around each other.”
Time will tell if the Magic have what it takes to make some noise during the 2022-23 season, but looking at their team from a big picture approach, they may very well be in one of the best positions out of the other 29 teams in the NBA right now.
This young core has a chance to be very special and the 2022-23 season will definitely provide us with glimpses of this potential.
