Everyone falls victim to preseason overreactions, whether you admit it or not. At some point in your time as a fan, you, your buddies, or anybody else who claims to be an NBA savant has either become overly worried or a little too excited about their favorite player or team’s first impressions. It is a universal experience, and frankly there’s nothing wrong with making these snap judgments. The nature of a fan is to use every sort of tangible evidence in real time as a way to fit their narrative. Players that play really well in preseason can be praised left and right on social media throughout the course of early October. However, should said player continuously “stink it up” well into the regular season, those preseason evaluations are rendered worthless.

A young team like the Magic are guaranteed to be barraged by early overreactions, so it’s time to call it like it is. Looking back on Orlando’s preseason game-by-game, what real judgments can we make of this team based off of these exhibition games?

In the words of David Steele, Is This Anything?

Game 1 - Orlando Magic @ Memphis Grizzlies
Final Score: ORL 97- MEM 109

Suffice to say, this game was quite rough to watch. A not-so-stellar debut for the Magic number one draft pick, Paolo Banchero (8 points, 2-9 FG, 4 turnovers) combined with a lucrative amount of team turnovers, poor pacing, and just a pure inability to keep up with Ja Morant and Memphis’ run-and-gun style of play. If there were a game to put the least amount of emphasis on throughout this preseason, it would be this one. Countless factors should have stamped this game as a massive blowout, yet the Magic still put up a decent fight. 

Franz Wagner sat this one out, cooling down from his recent play at Eurobasket. Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac’s injury issues kept them out, as well as Gary Harris and Admiral Schofield. The team also was heading into their first organized game as a cohesive unit since April, as opposed to Memphis taking part in their second game as a team while having home court advantage.

It’s worth noting the Magic missed multiple practice sessions due to Hurricane Ian back in late September, so offensive synergy issues were to be expected. We still saw an excellent game from the likes of Cole Anthony (17 points, 60% FG), RJ Hampton (14 points, 7 assists), and Moe Wagner (15 points, 67% 3P) despite the team’s collective struggle. A swift reality check for this young team, undoubtedly.

Game 2 - Orlando Magic @ San Antonio Spurs 
Final Score: ORL 102- SAS 99

Nothing better than good old Jumbotron feeds thanks to zero telecast options of Thursday’s game. Although the score reflects in Orlando’s favor, this exhibition was certainly not handed to us. Being down by as much as 19, it was Orlando’s third stringers that clawed its way back to a victory late in the fourth. It became evident that Orlando struggled with turnovers, aggression, and defensive rotations once again, only this time around Orlando was playing an inferior roster as opposed to the contending Memphis Grizzlies. Throughout the game, Orlando left much to be desired, yet Wendell Carter Jr.’s standout performance of 20 points and 10 rebounds kept fans engaged. 

The return of Franz Wagner also provided a much needed spark on offense, as a 12-0 Magic run began once the ball started to find Wagner’s hands. Paolo Banchero continued to wrestle with control aggression posting 9 points on 37.5% shooting. Another headline that would be noted should you ask the Magic fanbase is the continued production of Moritz Wagner and RJ Hampton. The two players who were often 2nd unit/3rd unit last year have certainly impressed and are likely under consideration for more bench minutes heading into the regular season. Not many conclusions can be drawn from this game (obviously, it’s preseason) but it’s certainly exciting to see the team jell game-by-game.

A strong victory to help this Magic team power through to the second stint of a back-to-back.

Game 3 - Orlando Magic @ Dallas Mavericks
Final Score: ORL 110 - DAL 105

Orlando’s second straight win on a west road trip marks a bittersweet start to every Magic fans weekend, as many closely monitored Jalen Suggs’ knee injury that stemmed from a Spencer Dinwiddie shove. Jalen Suggs went down with what looked to be a hyperextended knee after being in the game for less than two minutes, and after further evaluation/imaging he was ruled out indefinitely with a capsule sprain and bone bruise. While it seems Suggs may miss a few months of play, this definitely is a sigh of relief, as many signs were pointing to the injury causing structural damage to ligaments. 

The Magic started this game similar to the last two—very unprepared. The first quarter unfamiliarity issues continue to plague Orlando throughout this postseason, however in this instance it could also be in large part to Orlando resting Franz Wagner once again. Luka Doncic showed no mercy to the Magic in the limited minutes he played, picking apart Orlando’s defense with a grin on his face. Luckily, the struggles and adjustments from Paolo Banchero’s last two games seemed to have paid dividends, as Banchero posted 19 points with 2 made threes in just 21 minutes. Paolo’s early 3rd quarter scoring outburst was the catalyst for Orlando’s big run to start closing this game out. In other continuing news, RJ Hampton is still playing great and has been widely considered Orlando’s most consistent preseason player.

Although they are playing against bench units that are not really putting forth 100% effort, these outings for our young guys prove to be effective in building confidence and familiarity at an NBA pace. Back-to-back wins on the road and out of conference will always be an impressive feat, preseason or not.

Game 4 - Memphis Grizzlies @ Orlando Magic
Final Score: MEM 105 - ORL 109

By far the best preseason game we have seen out of this Magic team, maybe even the best preseason game in the league so far. The frontcourt of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. played heavy minutes together against a Memphis team matching those starter minutes, and boy, did this ever live up to hype. Fans were raving about the Magic frontcourt’s versatility on the floor, how easy each of them made scoring for the other two, and just the pure joy of watching them dominate. The passing ability and playmaking of this collective 3-4-5 unit is something I have yet to watch with my own two eyes during my entire time as a fan of basketball— that’s how talented these three are.

Orlando came out of the gates running, and not once did they let their foot off the gas. We’ll first speak on what Paolo brought to this game: he had a dominant first half, making his presence in the paint extremely felt. His frame and maneuvering ability around the basket makes for a great combination for a player that’s looking to draw contact— he’ll be making a comfortable living at the free throw line pretty quickly into his NBA career. A resurgence that may come as a shock to some but not to many is the importance of Terrence Ross in this game. The Torch’s ability to space the floor made the frontcourt’s job immensely easier, and when he was given the ball his knack for hitting the contested movement 3 was on full display. Ross’ demeanor and attitude towards the team has seen a tremendous uptick as of late, likely because of his optimism regarding the team’s ambitions of winning. Be on the lookout this season for vintage T-Ross.

Wendell Carter’s 4th quarter performance was like eye candy for Magic fans. He simply did not let up, pulling up from the midrange corner and taking defenders off the dribble for aggressive drives and stellar finishes. He finished with 18 points and 8 assists, showing off that aforementioned playmaking ability to a tee. Franz is Franz, we know what this kid is capable of by now. No surprise that Wagner just casually hits a dagger three in Brandon Clarke’s face and proceeds to steal the ball off of Ja Morant to seal the deal in the final seconds. Just Wunderkind things, I guess.

And yes, it is just preseason, but we have to talk about Bol Bol. 9 points and 9 rebounds in 20 minutes is pretty impressive for someone who has only logged sub 400 minutes in the NBA. He showed off his unicorn-like abilities and looked like the aggressive, instinct-driven player that the rest of the team was raving about during training camp. Caleb Houstan and Chuma Okeke provided valuable bench minutes as floor-stretching wing defenders, so it’ll be interesting to see who of the two will win out during the regular season for backup wing minutes.

Overall, one could call this the most perfect preseason game a Magic fan could ask for. You thought the playmaking was nice now? Imagine when Markelle gets back.

Game 5 - Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic
Final Score: CLE 108 - ORL 114

To wrap up the preseason, Orlando took on a Cavaliers team that played only one starter (a returning Evan Mobley) at home. The Magic frontcourt once again flashed signs of greatness during the few minutes they did play, showcasing Point Franz at its best as Wagner led the team with 5 assists. Paolo Banchero also continued his streak of consistent, star-level performances, racking up 17 points on 50% shooting. Ball movement seemed to be a major factor in the game plan for Friday night. Orlando really showed what their bench unit was capable of, with a specific highlight play involving Bol Bol and Terrence Ross that seemed vintage Spurs-esque. Oh and, the continued RJ Hampton contributions are still a thing, and we love to see it.

Fun Fact: Paolo Banchero, a 73% free throw shooter at Duke, finished preseason with an average of 95% from the line on 4.5 attempts per game. 

A four game win streak to lead Orlando into the regular season seems to be a perfect headline, right? For many loyal fans, Friday was bittersweet. By Monday, the 17th of October, all NBA teams must finalize their roster for the regular season. While throughout Summer League and training camp the roster limit is up to 20, the deadline requires teams to list 15 players that are set to stay, excluding 2-way contracts (Harris and Schofield).

Unfortunately, this meant the release of Devin Cannady, the 3-year sharpshooting G-League veteran from Princeton, who stole the hearts of many in Orlando. It may still be possible for Devin to earn a spot in Lakeland, where he formerly won a Finals MVP and a championship, however, this means the only chance of Cannady returning to the official Magic roster is through a call-up mid-season, assuming the release of a current player or a hardship injury exception. Coach Jamahl Mosley and Devin shared a “swan-song” moment during the final seconds of the Magic’s victory on Friday night, a clip that went viral through Magic social media and made the release of Cannady that much more emotional for those rooting for him.

Final Takeaways:

The majority of Magic fans know better than to make a huge deal out of preseason struggles. We have seen Cole Anthony have a rough go at the early-October exhibitions, then proceed to start out the season with an All-Star campaign. We have seen Franz Wagner have one of the most inefficient preseasons that a Magic rookie has ever had, then make All-Rookie first team and place himself on a superstar trajectory. However, this preseason was different.

This is the first preseason that the Magic have had a winning record since Dwight’s final year. The lion’s share of Orlando’s games may have been against lackadaisical defense and third stringers of contenders, but you would be a fool to dismiss the strides this team has made offensively—strides that were made very clear during the Memphis game.

With the inclusion of Paolo Banchero and the increased reps of Point Franz, Orlando’s offense is going to jump significantly from being one of the worse in the league. The return of our injured players will be critical to maintaining our defensive identity heading into the second half of the season, assuming Suggs and Isaac can return to their past forms. To put it simply: this team can be scary. And soon, at that.

An exciting chapter lies ahead for us.. October 19th marks the start of a new era, Magic fans, stay tuned!