Desmond Bane, Magic take dive in NBA latest power rankings

Orlando is 20-16 to start the season.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane in the first half against the Indiana Pacers. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are moving back and forth after failing to string consecutive wins in over a month.

Because of this, NBA.com writer John Schuhmann has placed the Magic at number 14 in his weekly power rankings, three spots lower than the previous week.

"The Magic have alternated wins and losses for their last 10 games. They slipped out of the top six in the East with a loss in Chicago on Friday, but climbed back in with their second win over the Pacers in the span of five days," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Magic have the league’s easiest January schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage, and they’re currently three games into a stretch where they’re playing five of seven against the bottom five teams in the league. Their best defensive game of the season (statistically) was a win in Washington in early November and they’ll be back at Capital One Arena on Tuesday."

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Magic take dip in power rankings

The teams ranking higher than the Magic in the power rankings are the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

Only the Sixers, Heat, and Raptors appear on the Magic schedule between now and the end of the month. This is an opportunity for the Magic to make a run towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings and stake their claim as one of the best teams in the league.

However, if the Magic are going to make improvements, they need to shoot better from distance. That includes starting shooting guard, Desmond Bane, who was brought to Orlando because of his shooting prowess.

"Desmond Bane had three of those 10 3-point misses in the final 10 minutes in Chicago, including two pull-up attempts for the tie in the final two minutes. He responded with 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting on Sunday, and the Magic are a much-improved offensive team this season, but Bane’s 35% from 3-point range is, easily, the worst mark of his career. He’s seen a jump in the percentage of his attempts that have been off the catch, but has seen drops in both his catch-and-shoot and pull-up 3-point percentage," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Magic shot just 3-for-21 (14%) from 3-point range in their win in Indiana on Wednesday. That was the fewest made 3-pointers for a winning team in more than three years (since the Pelicans made three in a win on Nov. 9, 2022). The last time a team made fewer than three 3s in a win was almost six years ago (Feb. 3, 2020)."

The Magic are back in action tomorrow against the Washington Wizards. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside the Capital One Arena. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA Week Pass.