Orlando Magic handle business in season opener; 3 takeaways

1. The depth was there

We have already spoken about Markelle Fultz at length and with good reason. But he was part of a group off the bench which showed signs of being a great unit together as the season progresses, even if Fultz himself may not be part of this unit for very long with the way he is playing.

Mohamed Bamba played 14 minutes and in his time on the court looked much more assured than during his rookie campaign.

Playing him is somewhat of a gamble, it meant Khem Birch received a DNP despite being one of the key factors in the Orlando Magic’s defensive improvements last season. He also played well for Canada during the FIBA World Cup this summer.

Al-Farouq Aminu was the other guy who stood out, again for his composure when introduced. Defensively he was assured of himself and made a difference and ended up playing 29 minutes, more than some of the starters. It looks like a he will be a closer for the organization going forward.

Evan Fournier, despite being a starter and having shaky moments, played well offensively, scoring 16 points. Terrence Ross put up 10, but even his introduction made the Cavaliers focus in on him straight away. He got to the basket as well, and was crucial in stretching the floor so that more limited players like Bamba and Aminu could operate.

The Magic even seem capable of now dealing with a couple of injuries, with Michael Carter-Williams looking like he could play more minutes (he played 14, although wasn’t always convincing), and Wesley Iwundu and Birch waiting in the wings.

There will be tougher tests as the season unfolds, but this was about as good a start as the Magic could have hoped for. A shaky start, before their new pieces such as Fultz and Aminu showed early promise, alongside what we’ve come to expect from guys like Nikola Vucevic, Ross and Aaron Gordon.

We knew this team was going to be good and we hoped that they could be. Beating lesser opponents such as the Cavaliers is the way they were supposed to start another playoff run.