Happy Halloween, Magic fans!

The season is a go!

As we have reached just over a week of NBA regular season gameplay, teams are starting to find their groove. Chemistry is getting better, lineups are clicking, and players are shaking off the rust of the offseason. For many teams, like this young Orlando squad, it’s a chance to see who will break out of their shell to become instant contributors, as well as who needs some extra time to adjust to the professional course. This week, we’ll be overviewing some key takeaways of the roster, focusing heavily on the pros and the cons of a rough 1-6 start to the young NBA season.

As a disclaimer, the cons are basically inevitable as we have statistically the youngest starting lineup in history, a new coach with no head coaching experience, and both rookies playing nearly 30 minutes per game. Everything that the casual observer would call “mistakes” should instead be considered as “growing pains” for such a young group under so much pressure. 

WELCOME TO THE NBA

Opening Night is always a surreal feeling for recently drafted newcomers, as they take the stage they’ve always dreamed of performing on and experience the realization of all their hard work paying off. This night was no different for rookies Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner, as they both scored in double digits and made their presence felt on the defensive end, as advertised. Jalen struggled with his efficiency, as he has for around 5 of the 7 games Orlando has played. The two games where we saw Suggs looked more comfortable and on target with his shot came against Miami and Toronto. In those games he shot an impressive 8/16 combined from three point range.

Magic fans will likely agree when I say Suggs is definitely not a worry at all. His hustle and defensive impact alone put him in a comfy spot in the starting lineup. Things can only go up from here, especially once his shots start to fall consistently, as well as trimming up the turnover total. The playmaking ability of Suggs still could use some work, however we’ve already seen some very, and I mean very impressive passes from the 5th overall pick. The assist numbers truly do no justice to Suggs’ on-court awareness, as many Magic shooters have missed on their open attempt to connect from behind the arc after a sweet Suggs patented skip pass.

For fans who were hungry for a noteworthy performance by the rookie, they certainly were satisfied with Jalen’s performance against the Toronto Raptors on Friday the 29th. A major headline across both Raptors and Magic media was the face-off between 4th overall pick Scottie Barnes and 5th overall pick Jalen Suggs, thanks to the draft night drama after Toronto went off the big board’s script. Safe to say, this game was circled on Jalen’s calendar. He put up 21 points on his most efficient shooting yet, while also racking up 4 assists. An amazing clutch block on OG Anunoby that fans are familiar with by now (see Summer League, UCLA v. Gonzaga, the list goes on…) to go along with an exciting 4-point-play rallied a late game comeback, putting the Magic only one point under Toronto, but ultimately the Magic fell short. This game was undoubtedly the silencer, as we saw a very limited preview of how high Jalen Suggs can fly.

Next up, we have Orlando’s pride and joy -- Sweet Franz. Magic fans, I cannot express enough how happy I am to be writing in this fashion about Franz. The 8th overall pick in the 2021 draft was welcomed with some judgement and criticism after a slow start in Summer League and preseason, but man oh man, Franz is the real deal. After heavy analysis of his game, it’s fair to say Wagner is the glue guy every team would kill to have. His off-nights aren’t even “off”, as his value is more in maintaining the flow of the offense, finding cutters, and anchoring a flexible team defense. To go along with a 7-game streak of scoring 10+ points, Franz is having a historically efficient start to his season, shooting 50% from the field and 44% from the 3. He is arguably Orlando’s best and most impactful player on the floor, and is just coming off of a 19-point performance against Detroit on an efficient 58% shooting.

The defensive strides Wagner has made are impossible to ignore, as he averages a steal a game while hounding the ball and locking up the likes of LaMelo Ball. While I planned on being brutally honest in these overviews, there’s really not much bad I can say about Franz’ game. He has looked extremely poised and professional on the court, exceeding expectations as a scorer, and putting in more work than the average defender on a nightly basis. The only knack on his game so far is his ball-handling ability, one that seems sloppy and a bit too low to the ground for a 6’11” forward. However this shouldn’t even count as a true concern, since how often will a PF need to handle the ball going forward with guys like Fultz, Suggs, and Anthony on the floor? Franz Wagner has stolen the hearts of Magic fans worldwide, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. His display of ability has earned him a top-5 spot on the NBA’s most recent rookie of the year ladder, but the sky’s the limit for Mr. Wagner. Personally, I find Franz’ quick adjustment and stellar play to start his rookie campaign as the highlight of the season so far. Magic fans seem to be optimistic about the 20-year-old’s future, as a poll ran on Twitter saw 55% of Magic fans expecting Franz to receive over 2 All-Star nods in the next 10 years. We got a good one, folks.

SOPHOMORE SLUMP or 2ND YEAR JUMP?

As Orlando awaits the breakout of rookies, many performances are going overlooked -- especially those of Cole Anthony, the 2nd year guard out of UNC. In the absence of Markelle Fultz, Cole has definitely not disappointed. Anthony missed 25 games of the 2020-2021 season due to a rib injury, and this likely caused a dent in his campaign to be selected to an All-Rookie team. Snubbed by voters for the likes of Jae’Sean Tate and Saddiq Bey, Cole took it personally. Headlined by a 29 point and 16 rebound performance in MSG, Anthony was labeled as one of the best rebounding point guards in the league. His major improvement lies in his efficiency and shot creation ability, as fans marveled at his 1-on-1 iso highlights. Anthony currently leads the league in pull-up 3-point jumpshot efficiency, shooting the pull-up 3 at a 54% clip. An exciting offense run by rookie coach Mosley often relies on a pick-and-roll situation leading to a big man switching on Cole, then giving Cole the green light to feast. He’s been nothing short of impressive this year, putting his name in the consideration for Most Improved Player. 

Unfortunately, you can’t have everything go well when it comes to the NBA. Sophomore RJ Hampton was on track for an impressive 2nd season after receiving Rookie of the Month honors in the final month of the regular season. While it may just be a sophomore slump, or having a hard time adjusting to being a bench unit point guard, Hampton has seemed to pump the brakes (figuratively, of course -- he’s still the fastest player on the team). Many of these close losses (Toronto, Charlotte) can be credited to extremely poor bench play. Hampton is expected to facilitate the second unit, which unfortunately is in very bad shape at the moment. Playing with the likes of Robin Lopez and Ignas Brazdeikis is certainly not very kind to RJ’s personal production -- there’s just not a talented group of players around him that can tailor to his game. This being said, he’s also put in a position he had little to no experience playing previously, as he formerly played exclusively shooting guard. I’m sure when the injury bug in Orlando is cured, RJ will see a jump in impact thanks to a more loaded bench. However as of right now, his game is looking just as raw as his rookie year. His lack of awareness when dribbling to the cup leads to sloppy turnovers and missed layups, and paired with his speed it can be a recipe for disaster. The game is still not slowed down for him, which is why Coach Mosley having Hampton at the 1 is still a questionable decision. To sum up, his game is not refined by any means, but his talent and drive are still there. The opportunity must present itself, and RJ will be just fine in this league.

BENCH PLAY -- THE TEAM’S WEAKEST LINKS

As previously mentioned, one of this team's biggest pitfalls is the absolutely horrid bench play. In most cases of our recent games, the starters play a great 6-8 minutes and slowly but surely as the bench makes its way in, all the progress made by the starters is torn apart. Turnover after turnover, late shot clock heaves, and poor defensive possessions barely begin to tell the story of the second unit’s minutes.

This is due to two reasons I can think of. Our starting talent is not being staggered properly to make up for a lackluster bench and the lack of coherence in Mosley’s coaching style. When our bench players begin to sub in, it leads to some very head scratching 5-man lineups on the floor. Occasionally, we’ll see Jalen Suggs sub out in exchange for Terrence Ross or Gary Harris, leaving Cole Anthony and one of the two aforementioned guards in the backcourt. While this is really no knock on their defensive ability, the perimeter defense instantly becomes weakened with Suggs off the floor. Combine this with Mo Wagner being subbed in a few possessions later, and suddenly the downfall of a solid start begins. Can we credit this to poor coaching?

For now, the answer is still no. You would be right to say there have been questionable acts that cannot go unnoticed, such as Wendell Carter Jr. only playing 16 minutes versus Detroit or a poorly called timeout on the final possession versus Toronto when Suggs had a step on Fred VanVleet for an open lane. I’m sure these are all lessons he’ll learn and adjust to in due time, but when you consider the bench unit is our actual third string, you’ll come to realize Mose is really just working with what he’s got.

REALITY CHECK

For a young team undergoing a bottom-up rebuild, this year is going just as you’d expect. There will always be the bright spots and there will always be the hardships, it’s truly just about staying the course, remaining trustworthy of the team’s ability. From what Magic fans have seen, we have an insanely talented group of guys, and two of the most talented are out! The return of Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac will be a huge sigh of relief for fans, as the stages of rebuild will seem to be coming to an end with their return. The season goes on, magic fans!