Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is Finding His Shot at the Right Time for the Magic

After struggling to be the shooter the Orlando Magic signed him to be for much of the year, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is shooting 45.9 percent from three since the All-Star break.

Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) shoots in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

When summer signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope posted a 22.4 three-point percentage through his first 18 games, his Orlando Magic teammates weren't worried.

Then, when Caldwell-Pope knocked down four threes for a third consecutive game at Brooklyn on Dec. 1 earlier this season, the Magic had evidence to support their unwavering belief.

"He's a knockdown shooter, we all knew he was going to get it going," Paolo Banchero told reporters in Orlando's Barclays Center locker room the first day of December. "He's a career 40-percent shooter, so that means if you start the year off at 20 percent, you're about to go on a nice hot streak."

Yet, Caldwell-Pope's 17-for-31 three-point shooting over four games had turned out to be a flash in the pan. The veteran guard shot just 30.9 percent from three in 53 games pre-All-Star break. While his defense, availability and championship pedigree factored into Orlando's signing, the uncharacteristic poor shooting left more to be desired. After all, he'd shot no worse than 38.5 percent from distance the previous five years.

Coming back from the All-Star break, however, Banchero's comments are beginning to ring true again – and stay true this time.

Caldwell-Pope's percentages have spiked to 52.2 percent from the field, (up from 41.0 percent) 45.9 percent from three and 64.9 percent true shooting (54.3 pre-All-Star). He's making more shots with less attempts, and his net rating has jumped from -1.7 to 5.3.

Perhaps his best game came Tuesday versus the Spurs, when the 12th-year guard hit 7-of-9 threes in a critical road victory. Orlando improved to 4-1 when Caldwell-Pope makes four or more threes in a game.

After the game, Caldwell-Pope credited Banchero and Franz Wagner – Orlando's two heavily relied-upon creators he played much of the first two-thirds of the year without because of injury – for finding him and helping him get into a rhythm.

But, after a year where his shotmaking hasn't been up to his previously set standards, he also admitted it "feels goo to see the ball go through anyways, and then for your teammates [to be] looking for you and creating for you makes it even better."

The pace of the Magic's offense – second-slowest in the NBA – does little to stress defenses, especially if the threat of shooting isn't there. But Orlando desires to play quicker, and it has amounted to some success when done so correctly, particularly in finding open looks from three.

That's a good thing. Orlando, dead last in three-point percentage this year collectively, is 5-0 this season when making 18 or more threes in a game, 13-2 when making 15 or more, and 21-6 when making at least 13. The problem with that? The Magic are 17-34 in the 51 instances they've made 12 or fewer.

"I think we're making quick decisions," point guard Cory Joseph said at Thursday's shootaround when asked what contributes to Orlando's onslaught of made threes in certain games. "The person with the basketball, it's popping around, we're in rhythm, we're playing fast [and] with pace."

When that happens?

"We've been making more shots from three lately, so it's been helping our offense," Banchero said Thursday morning. That evening, Caldwell-Pope shot 1-2 from three and 3-4 from the field, totaling 13 points in the Magic's 109-97 win over the Washington Wizards

Caldwell-Pope has looked more like the shooter Orlando thought it was signing this offseason. For a team scrounging for positive momentum at this time in the year, that's a positive.

Up Next

The Magic conclude their two-game road trip with a visit to the Washington Wizards (17-59) for the final time this regular season Thursday, April 3 at 7 p.m.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• PRESSURE TO MAXIMIZE BANCHERO-WAGNER PAIR: As teammates, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner already stand alone in Magic history. Orlando must maximize them buy supplanting their stardom. CLICK HERE
• HOUSTAN IS BASKETBALL-OBSESSED: "He really just cares about basketball and loves the game, loves his teammates, and loves the work that goes into it," Paolo Banchero said of Caleb Houstan. CLICK HERE
• FULTZ, ORLANDO TIES STILL TIGHT: Orlando was home for five years for Markelle Fultz. Although no longer with the team, that feeling hasn't left him. CLICK HERE
• 'WE'RE NOT DONE': The Magic officially know they've got postseason basketball on the horizon. But, that's not deviating their focus from finishing the year strong. CLICK HERE
• ISAAC CANDID ABOUT LESSENED ROLE: "Haven't shot it well, haven't played well overall, so I'm not necessarily blaming anybody or mad at anybody else but myself," Jonathan Isaac said. CLICK HERE

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