Basketball-Obsessed, Caleb Houstan's Consistency is Paying Off for Magic

Caleb Houstan's consistency has kept him ready for stretches like this, when the Orlando Magic rely on him to be a key piece of their puzzle. "He really just cares about basketball and loves the game, loves his teammates, and loves the work that goes into it," Paolo Banchero said.

Caleb Houstan has turned into the Orlando Magic's much-needed shooter of late. That's a product of his consistency and work ethic. | Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. – With Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson watching courtside Saturday night, Caleb Houstan scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from three in a 121-91 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Only, that wasn't the first time the prominent New York-based rapper, actor and businessman had been exposed to the Orlando Magic third-year pro's hot hand from distance.

In February of last year, shortly after the Magic inked a multi-year partnership with 50 Cent's wine and spirits company, Sire Spirits, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley guided Jackson on a tour of the team's state-of-the-art AdventHealth Training Center.

Most of the amenities weren't being used at the time of the tour. But when they reached the facility's practice courts, Mosley and Jackson ran into Houstan, who was going through an extra shooting workout with then-head video coordinator Ameer Bahhur – now an assistant coach who works the closest with Houstan – and video assistant and player development coach Davonte Fitzgerald.

The two exchanged pleasantries with Jackson saying he'd stopped to spectate and watch Houstan do what he does. Then, Mosley put his young sharpshooter up to a challenge.

"If he's not nervous, he'll run off 10 straight for you right now," Mosley said.

"I ain't nervous," Houstan said, not backing down. And, he raised the stakes – putting Jackson on the spot and challenging the multi-faceted mogul to shoot with him.

After some deliberation, Jackson, while warning Houstan he was a threat from outside himself, joined Houstan on the opposite side of the floor near the three-point line.

"You think you're that good, man?" Jackson asked.

Houstan didn't respond – at least, not verbally. He received a chest pass from Bahhur and smoothly knocked down a left-wing three.

"Nah, that (expletive) is good, man," Jackson said.

Sporting his usual calm, collected demeanor, Houstan's makes continued one after another. In doing so, he'd certainly earned Jackson's respect.

So much so that when Jackson addressed the entire Magic team before the Feb. 10, 2024, contest versus the Chicago Bulls, he singled out Houstan and recalled their earlier interaction.

"This one right here practices like a (expletive)," Jackson said, dapping Houstan as his teammates cracked up in laughter. "But that's the only thing that separates us. What we fall in love with, love turns into your passion for something, and your passion for something, if it really becomes strong, becomes your obsession."

It is no understatement to say Houstan is obsessed with basketball.

"I've seen it since we both got drafted, since Summer League practice my first year, just how consistent he is," Paolo Banchero told reporters in the Magic's locker room Saturday night.

As the top overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, Banchero – along with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs from the previous year's draft – was selected to bear the weight of leading the next chapter of Magic basketball back to prominence. Thirty-one picks later, the Magic added Houstan, who'd led his Michigan Wolverines as a freshman with 60 three-point makes in 34 games.

While the Magic were selecting Houstan to be a steady shooter, they also may have found one of the most committed players to their craft in the entire process.

"Before and after practice, he lives, breathes, eats, sleeps basketball," Banchero said. "He doesn't really do much else. Man doesn't even have ... freaking many clothes in his closet. He just wears all the free stuff he gets."

In an era where the rise of social media has turned the pregame tunnel walk into a fashion show of its own, Houstan – Orlando's only player without an active social media account – can be seen sporting team-issued Magic, Michigan or Team Canada gear with regularity when entering an arena.

Caleb Houstan arrives at Barclays Center in November wearing a Team Canada-issued coat over a Magic-issued zip-up jacket. | David L. Nemec, Getty Images

Houstan arrives at Golden 1 Center wearing a Jordan-branded Michigan hoodie. | Melissa Majchrzak, Getty Images

Houstan walks into Crypto.com Arena wearing a black team-issued Magic Nike zip-up. | Adam Pantozzi, Getty Images

"He really just cares about basketball and loves the game, loves his teammates, and loves the work that goes into it," Banchero said.

His head coach agrees. After a separate 18-point, 6-three night at Minnesota on March 14, Mosley called Houstan "one of the hardest workers [he's] ever seen."

To that point in his third NBA season, Houstan's opportunities had come sparingly. Fixated on the Magic's third string to begin the year, he finally began seeing consistent non-garbage time minutes at the peak of Orlando's injury influx near the new year. With depth at forward lacking sans Banchero and Wagner, he was either a spot-starter or second-unit reserve for a 13-game stretch (Dec. 29-Jan. 23).

Banchero returned on Jan. 10, and Wagner 13 days later. With depth replenished, Houstan's role again diminished. He played over 10 minutes in just one game over the next seven weeks (Jan. 25-March 13) and logged 11 DNP-CDs in 21 games before his six makes from three in the road matchup with the Wolves earned him 26 minutes of playing time.

While Houstan's night-to-night role wavered, his work ethic did not follow suit. That, along with his capability to catch fire from distance at a moment's notice, has been his calling card since he first came into the league.

Nights like Saturday showcase what happens when the two combine at their peak.

"He's been working so hard, [and] I always wanted to say this: I've been around a lot of hardworking guys, but this guy's inspirational," center Goga Bitadze said at the Magic's postgame interview dais Saturday night. Houstan, sat to the right of Bitadze, flashed a shy smile as he glanced down at the evening's final box score.

"You see him every day in [the gym], no matter the circumstances," Bitadze continued. "You land at 3:00 a.m., this guy is in there at 8:00 a.m. It's truly inspirational for this young man, and he pushes me personally ... he doesn't even realize, but he pushes me to go in there and work."

Houstan scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from three on Saturday vs. the Sacramento Kings. | Fernando Medina, Getty Images

"He's always consistent, no matter if he's playing or not playing, in or out of the rotation," Banchero said. "He's always showing up, getting his work in. I think the coaches know that they can put him in anytime and he'll be ready, and his teammates know that as well. Not really surprised.

'Every time he shoots it, I think it has a pretty good chance of going in. And he just does all the other little things really well, too."

Banchero is right to feel that way, because lately, nearly everything Houstan attempts has gone in. Not only did the Magic forward's big night at Minnesota help propel him back into the rotation, but it also sparked a recent two-plus week stretch that has Houstan as the hottest outside volume shooter in the NBA.

He's drained 20 of his 32 three-point looks in the last eight games, good for 62.5 percent – the best mark of any player in the league playing at least 15 minutes and attempting at least three triples a game since March 14.

During this stretch, which has seen the Magic go 5-3, Houstan owns a plus-minus of plus-28 in 140 total minutes.

For the entire month of March, Houstan is 23-of-41 from three (56.1 percent, third in the NBA) and has five games of two-or-more made triples in 12 appearances. Over his 39 appearances before March, Houstan made just 30-of-92 attempts beyond the arc and had eight games of two-plus made threes.

"It's [felt] good making shots," Houstan said Saturday. "I think when anyone makes shots, I think everyone else gets happy and it's a good kind of vibe."

Houstan is a solid defender, but his primary focus when on the court is to be an outside threat. At 6-foot-8, the 22-year-old is uniquely famous for his current reign as the tallest active qualified player (at least 500 mins. played) in the league to have never dunked in a game.

Yet, the Magic don't need Houstan to be a dunker. They've needed him to hit shots, and for the league's worst three-point shooting team throughout the year, he's doing that. Orlando has yet to decide on whether it will pick up the team option on the final year of his rookie deal for next season.

But, it would love for this stretch to be more than a flash in the pan. If there's substance to it, it could be a big factor in the decision surrounding the option this summer.

Regardless, this run of play has made Houstan an invaluable piece to the Magic's rotation. He's playing the role of the knockdown shooter they've lacked all season, and he's become Mosley's first planned substitution of the night when Wagner heads to the bench.

There's some coincidence involved with Jackson being seated courtside for Houstan's big night. Yet, it's not because the two have had previous interactions before.

Instead, it's that at the first chance for the two ever to meet, Jackson got an up-close glimpse at exactly what Houstan is all about.

Basketball, and basketball only.

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