Orlando Magic: 3 most important players in 2021-22
By Luke Duffy
Most important Orlando Magic players: 3. Wendell Carter Jr.
We start at the center position, which despite having such stability through the years is now completely up for grabs. Vucevic is long gone, and despite his absence, Mohamed Bamba has still been unable to nail down the spot as his own. It got no easier for him either with the introduction of Wendell Carter Jr., sent over from the Bulls in the Vucevic deal, before the deadline last year.
Carter Jr.’s rookie deal is up after this coming year, and he will be looking to get an extension from his current employers. The only issue there is that Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz have already been paid, albeit on more team-friendly deals, and there will come a time soon when Chuma Okeke will be up. After that, it is Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton and well, you see where this is going.
Centers don’t command the money they used to, and it will be fascinating to see if Carter Jr. can do enough to warrant a deal from the organization, or else become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. That second deal represents stability for everybody, and it is one that both sides will want to sign if they can agree on a figure.
Carter Jr. so that he has financial security, especially if he were to get injured, and the Magic so that they could lock him into a deal and then possibly trade him down the line. Or else it may be that Carter Jr. plays so well that the Magic decide he has to be a part of where they’re going in the future.
He impressed fans with his willingness on both ends after joining, averaging 11.7 points and 8.8 boards in 22 games in the pinstriped blue. Interestingly, Carter Jr. has never averaged under 10 points per game since entering the league. He’s no Vucevic offensively, but certainly, there exists the potential for him to contribute upwards of 15 points a night.
Considering the offensive talent now on this roster that Vucevic never had, that could be all that is needed. Factor in the likelihood that he will be even better defensively than Vucevic ever was, and suddenly that’s an intriguing prospect. An extension would see the Magic start to eat into some pristine-looking cap space, but Carter Jr. may do enough to show that he is the answer here, not Bamba.