Less than a week until opening night, Orlando! The wait is almost over, and fans have been raving over the new-look Magic that they've seen in the last two weeks. 

As Orlando closes out the preseason (1-3) on a spectacular game winner by Jeff Dowtin, many things are to be noted when entering the regular season. Outside opinions comfortably go under the gauge of “it’s just preseason” in order to avoid over/underreaction, yet there’s always some takeaways that do serve some meaning. Take a look at some highs and lows from the four games of preseason and see what judgements can be realistically made as we get closer to opening night. 

Mo Bamba’s Block Parties

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane: it’s 2018 NBA Draft Night. With the 6th pick, the Orlando Magic select: Mohamed Bamba. At the time, fans were ecstatic for this selection. With a 7’10” wingspan and a ceiling even higher, Bamba was a mesmerizing prospect that Orlando felt would help turn this franchise around. That is, until the breakout of Nikola Vucevic occurred. A bittersweet moment no question, as Vooch’s personal success along with Steve Clifford’s preference of Khem Birch as a backup led to extremely minimal minutes and even some DNP’s for Mo. 

Since then, Orlando has made notable changes to the coaching staff as well as freeing up some playing time at the center position, leading Mo to take the necessary leap 3 years into his career. During the second half of the 2020-2021 season, Bamba was finally given his first real opportunity to shine, and even then, he was only averaging 20.8 minutes per game. Fans saw some occasional glimpses of stardom, as he recorded multiple 20 plus points 10 plus rebound games nearing the season’s end. Even after these performances, Bamba was still growing into himself, as there was still a slight lack of awareness, motor, and defensive pressure. 

Now, we’re seeing a different Mo. It’s undeniable. Anybody who saw just one of Orlando’s four preseason games can agree that this is the Mo Bamba we’ve been waiting for. All he needed was a shot at proving himself. The first sign that Mo has upped his game is his physique. One of his biggest criticisms coming into the league was not being physically strong to handle the rough and tough of being a big man. Since his rookie season, Bamba has gained over 25 pounds of weight (listed at 226 lbs during draft combine measurements, now listed at 250 lbs. training camp measurements). All of this extra weight, likely gained in muscle, has proven effective for Bamba in the paint.

Let’s talk about his blocks. It seemed as if every time an opponent attempted a shot near Mo, it’d be either wildly missed or sent right back in the blink of an eye. Bamba was the bright light on the defensive end for Orlando, as he ended the preseason leading the league in blocks per game (3.75). Specifically, the final game of the preseason against Boston saw Bamba snatch 4 shots in just one half. The presence Bamba has shown on the defensive end has driven fans to be more excited than ever, as his shot-blocking ability drew attention from nearly every basketball media outlet. It’s definitely nice to see Mo, along with Orlando, get some love from the general public. 

Offensively, Bamba’s biggest improvements have actually come in the outside area. Many fans took notice of Coach Mose utilizing Mo on the elbow in pick in roll scenarios, where the ball is dumped off to him and he’s allowed to work his defender for a quick midrange. Another jump shooting aspect of the game Mo has been working on is a smooth fadeaway. Although only seen a limited amount of times, his ability to make that specific shot is certainly there. Something to keep an eye on is Mo’s ability as a 3 point shooter. Taking into account a minutes jump, Mo could certainly be recognized as one of the most efficient 3 point shooting big men in the league. He shot a reliable 40% from behind the arc this preseason, on 3 attempts per game (a number I am sure will increase in the regular season and specially once Markelle returns).

Be ready to buy into the Mo Bamba hype. These steady improvements mixed with an opportunity points to a breakout year. It may not be instant, but under Coach Mose’s rotation one thing is certain: Mo has a chance to shine, now more than ever.

Rookie Struggles: What do we make of them?

It’s no secret that we were slightly let down by the rookies’ first few performances of the preseason. If anybody deserves to be cut some slack, it’s Franz and Jalen. Both being extremely young and lacking NBA experience, they’re now thrown into playing 20+ minutes a game at an NBA pace all while being told to go 75% so as to not risk exhaustion or injury. For reference, reigning Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball averaged a disappointing 8.5 points per game on 26% shooting in his rookie year preseason. We should be looking at this as a time for Jalen and Franz to smooth out the bumps on the road and welcome mistakes. 

After an electrifying Summer League by Jalen Suggs, fans expected a lot of him off the jump. Despite putting up just 9-4-3 in his first game, the box score only looked worse after. Making judgements off of these 3 games are much more irrational when compared to those with league experience. Jalen is still feeling out the NBA pace, it will take time. When disregarding the box score, Suggs was seen putting his hustle on full display, making dives for loose balls, running swift pick and rolls, picking apart opponents on the defensive end and swatting away shots from the likes of Jayson Tatum. The “concern” a lot of viewers had was Suggs’ inability to create off the dribble combined with his passiveness. He often came up court with the ball and rotated to get the ball out of his hands. This led to less field goal attempts along with less productivity on the offensive end. 

Now, we’re not entirely sure if it was just Suggs’ preseason jitters kicking in or if it was specific instruction from Coach himself. However, what we do know is that it is definitely not a big deal by any means. Jalen will figure out the NBA game and land on his feet. For now, we can only witness his growing pains. Another quick reminder for Orlando fans is that Jalen was not drafted with the expectations to be a score-first minded point guard. He’ll need some time to work on his handle and getting by opponents more effectively, as one weakness that has been pointed out is his hesitancy on the drive. If not on a fastbreak, Suggs often picks up his dribble quickly and gets swarmed in the middle of the lane. His jump shot has been looking much more natural, and his percentage are highly skewed due to the fact that many of his missed field goals in those 3 games played were last-second attempts to beat the clock, rather than legitimate attempts.

Now, let’s observe Sweet Franz and how he’s performed. For those who may have missed his games, let’s just say the box score does not do him justice, same goes for Jalen. The stats only tell one side of the story and in this case they can be extremely misleading. Franz’ presence in the stat sheet was almost nonexistent in the first couple of games, shooting 11% and scoring a combined 2 points in total. What isn’t shown on a piece of paper is Franz’ stellar ability to guard the perimeter matched with great defensive anticipation leading to countless deflections. Once that part of his game becomes refined, Franz will be known for having a knack to snag multiple steals off the pass. He also spaces the floor extremely well, making proper cuts which lead to either an open layup, free throws, or a quick dime in the paint for one of Mo or WCJ. 

During Franz’ latter stretch of preseason games, he showed promise as a reliable spot up shooter and began connecting on more of his passes. What looked to be the same type of catch and shoot jumpers he struggled with in Summer League, Wagner looked much more comfortable and shots began to fall. Slow and steady wins the race and Franz’s adjustments are becoming more and more prominent by the night. On Wednesday night vs. Boston Wagner posted an active 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, proving his versatility on an NBA court. What started as a frustrating showing quickly changed into production and promise on Wagner’s end. As previously stated, he still needs time. He’s 19 years old and will be somewhat raw to start the season, that’s no question. Once he adjusts properly and tweaks a few parts of his gane, he’ll fit right in with today’s NBA. 

Is WCJ and Mo starting together a possibility?

To answer this one quickly, yes. Through four preseason games, Coach Mose decided to start the two together for the final two exhibitions. Wendell Carter Jr. played the 4, while Mo Bamba played the 5. Chemistry between the two was unreal, as the energy in their time together was through the roof and bell-ringing plays were getting made. There’s many valid reasons why Coach Mosley could elect to start both Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. at the 4 and 5 on opening night, so if this were to become a regular thing, we should not be surprised in the slightest. The narrative that has swarmed Magic media since the Vucevic trade was that there’s a war between Mo and WCJ for that starting spot. Thankfully, this horrid train of thought can be put to bed. 

Both of these young big men can see a leap in production this year, all while getting virtually the same minutes. With Jonathan Isaac slated to be out for a little while longer and Chuma Okeke deadline with an injury, the PF position is one in need of filling. Our initial options consist of Mo Wagner, Franz Wagner, and Robin Lopez. At first glance, the depth of the 4 spot seems concerning. After sliding Wendell down, you got yourself a match made in heaven. Franz comes off the bench for a small ball lineup, while Chuma, Wendell and Mo make up for a deadly defensive minded front court. This will likely only last up until all-star break or less.m and that unfortunately means Magic fans will be back in that limbo of who deserves that starting spot. Luckily both guys get half a year worth of chances to prove themselves. How often is it you have two big men on your team that are both MIP candidates?

Final Thoughts

In terms of progress, the good easily outweighed the bad this preseason. We got to see this young and exciting team participate in some much needed 5 on 5, as well as a preview of some breakout sophomore seasons from Cole and RJ. Not to mention, these first and last games against Boston are probably the two most memorable Magic preseason games in recent years. A successful preseason without question. Now the waiting game continues, as we count the days to October 20th as well as October 22nd, our first home regular season game! 

We got a lot poppin’, Orlando, stay tuned!