Orlando, FL – Less than a year ago, Orlando welcomed a plethora of new faces as part of a brand new rebuild. None of which immediately blew the fan base away, as the Magic’s return for their core 3 was a mix of protected draft picks, regressing vets and young players in need of development. Apart from the conveyed draft pick that turned into fan favorite, Franz Wagner, only one of these returns have proven to be a long-term and ultra valuable player with flashes of stardom: Wendell Carter Jr. It’s time we talk about our objectively best player on the team, who seems to eat 20-n-10’s for breakfast.
Per a self-conducted Twitter poll, 56% of participating Magic fans believe Wendell Carter Jr. is the Magic’s best current player.
Carter has separated himself significantly from all other big men on this young Magic team, especially in the latter half of the season. In Carter’s last 20 games, he’s posted an average of 17 points per game, 11 rebounds per game and 3 assists while shooting 57% from the field. His offensive talent is well complemented by his tireless efforts on defense, as Carter’s interior presence is a large contributor to Orlando being ranked 1st in defensive rating for a period of time since the All-Star break. What better example to validate his talent than studying his matchup against the MVP himself? Against WCJ this year, Nikola Jokic has put up averages just 22 points, 5 turnovers and shot a poor 38% from the field and 21% from three point range.
Fans of this young team cannot express just how valuable the play of Carter is. Its evident Coach Mosley relies heavily on him for a lot of the offense, even without him attempting multiple shots. The Orlando Magic are in comfortable shape with their guard play, however when Carter Jr. was sidelined after the Philadelphia game at home, offense could not be generated at any level. His threat as a stretch 4 combined with his elite screening ability poses for a large part of keeping our wings available and spaced. The Magic’s backcourt throughout this stretch of games without Carter was suffocated, to say the least.
What’s motivated fans to be certain in Carter’s inclusion in the starting lineup long term is his positional versatility. Beginning in the preseason, Coach Jamahl Mosley experimented with the double big lineup, one that featured Mo Bamba at center and Wendell Carter Jr. at power forward. The results he received from this combo were promising. Defenses had to compromise paint presence in order to tend to the two bigs’ outside shooting ability, leading to a more spaced offense and a slash-able defense. To this day, Mosley has stuck with the double big lineup and it seems as if the plan is all coming together. In Friday’s home win against Minnesota, Bamba and Carter combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds on 7/12 from three—a true tell of how powerful Orlando’s front-court can end up.
To the average viewer, this performance is not as one sided as it may have seemed in the box score. While Bamba, Fultz, and Moe Wagner carried a large part of the load offensively, it was the work of Wendell Carter Jr. that set the tone on the defensive and hustle side of the ball. He held All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns to 21 points on 41% from the field and 20% from three while also keeping Towns in consistent foul trouble. In head-to-head matchups, Carter showed multiple flashes of becoming the elite scoring center Magic fans see in him. He scored on multiple post-ups, utilizing fadeaways and taking KAT off the dribble for pull-up midranges. A true embodiment of the modern big man, Carter’s creation ability has been a sight for sore eyes.
It seems night in and night out, fans find something new about Carter’s game to rave about and with the addition of Markelle Fultz, the game is only going to come easier for him. Add a top 5 draft pick in this mix (assuming he’d be a big man) and Carter’s responsibilities should diminish and his opportunities should come more and more natural. Another aspect of Carter’s blossoming that should excite Magic fans is our improved development system under Coach Mosley, and how it’s changed multiple narratives.
Prior to the emergence of players like Carter and Wagner, the Magic’s player development team faced a lot of backlash. Scenarios like the failures of Mario Hezonja and Oladipo’s inability to grow in Orlando were textbook insults used to push this narrative, and us Magic fans were left with little to no ammo to fire back. Carter’s career revival also ended the idea that he was ever a bust; a major controversy amongst Bulls fans which was why they were ever-so-happy to see him traded. The injury-riddled start to Carter’s career in Chicago along with playing under three coaches in three years caused an inability for Carter to gel and find a set role as a Bull. Place him on a young team that’s primary focus is development (who just so happened to trade their best big man), and you’ve got a recipe for the young center’s success.
Speaking of draft possibilities, let’s take a look at the team’s future regarding Carter—assuming the Magic avoid more guard drafting and secure a big man in their selection, they’d be placed in a very intriguing position in terms of minutes divisions and role placement. With the likes of Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero at the top tier of this draft, a returning Jonathan Isaac has his “guaranteed” starting role in jeopardy. While many believe Carter has proved enough, it’s up to Coach Mosley to decide who is deserving of the starting power forward spot. What likely makes for a stellar 4-5 combo in Isaac and Carter might not be actualized for a long time. Although as a fan of defensive-minded basketball, Carter and Isaac’s switch-ability to cover multiple positions makes for an uber-talented, scary front-court opponent.
To no surprise, Carter has his fair share of “Shaqtin’” moments—but again, what young player doesn’t? Luckily the Magic are in a position where you can make mistakes and very rarely suffer the consequences, as the team is tailored to ironing out the problems instead of demanding immediate production. Any time Carter mishandles a pass or misses a bunny layup, the team laughs it off and runs back on the defense. But truthfully, I find it hard to believe Carter will continue to make such mistakes in the future. His role has become very clear on this team, and it seems he’s becoming more and more poised on the court as the season progresses.
Carter Jr. should very quickly become thatguy an average fan would associate with the Orlando Magic, however it’s all up to narrative creation and social media recognition in the NBA. The Team Shop in Amway Center should be filled with Carter Jr. jerseys, and its time we give credit where credit is due: Wendell Carter Jr. is our best player right now. Put some respect on his name.