The Orlando Magic have had themselves a nice offseason. They nailed the NBA Draft in picking Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner and even picked up a veteran in Robin Lopez who on the surface didn’t seem to make a lot of sense, but who actually does on a deeper look. There is genuine excitement around the roster, albeit modest, but there are tougher times ahead.
Although a clear core appears to be in place, the Magic are still expected to lose a lot of games. Like, a lot. As easy as this may be to accept right now, when the team is in the midst of a long losing streak in the winter, it won’t seem nearly as fun. Fans have endured a lot of this feeling over the last 10 years.
The Orlando Magic are going to do a lot of losing in 2021-22, but these are going to be the three most important players for them next season.
There is a silver lining, however, as the Magic could again have two high lottery picks next summer.
They currently are in possession of their own pick and are due another from the Chicago Bulls via the Nikola Vucevic trade that they will be hoping falls their way again in the lottery. Before they can even think about adding more young players to a roster that is suddenly bursting with them, they need to use the 2021-22 season to see what they’ve got.
Keeping everybody healthy and getting some key players back is important, and so too will be deciding who are the main guys to build around. So in terms of the bigger picture, there are a number of players who are going to be important for the organization as new head coach Jamahl Mosley looks to build something sustainable.
The following are the three players who, at this moment, are going to be the most important for the Magic this coming season. Not when it comes to wins, although they can certainly help there too, but more in confirming that these are the players going forward who can lead the Magic back to the postseason. It has to start somewhere, and for these three it is the 2021-22 season.
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.
Most important Orlando Magic players: 2. Jalen Suggs
Adding Jalen Suggs to this list isn’t meant to heap unnecessary pressure on the rookie. In fact, it speaks more to what a fantastic opportunity this is for him to grow. He had a great showing during Summer League in the games that he did play, taking it seriously and having the kind of performances that fans from other teams were admiring as well.
Michael Carter-William’s misfortune can work in Suggs’s favor as well, as the injury to his teammates means he will get even more minutes early in the season to get out and show what he can do. Coach Mosley is sure to let him make his mistakes on the court, and having him in place instead of previous head coach Steve Clifford is also to Suggs’s advantage.
We are going to see pretty early on if Suggs can be the potential franchise cornerstone that the Magic have needed for a long time. If not that, then the guy with the winning mentality is the most exciting player on the roster. Already he looks to have secured that mantle and has the mentality to match, just like teammate Anthony.
The backcourt rotation will have to be addressed at some point in time, but right now it can only be viewed as a positive. There is plenty of talent back there, and although he has done everything right so far, Suggs is going to have to fight to prove that he is the real long-term solution for the Magic, especially offensively.
That kind of competition is healthy and welcomed for a young team, and the fact that they are currently working out as a group together is hugely encouraging as well. That is the other reason why Suggs is going to be so important this year. To see if his personality, alongside that of Anthony, meshes the group together to play in their style. Early on it looks like it has, and if the talent follows then it is going to be a huge year for the rookie.
Most important Orlando Magic players: 1. Jonathan Isaac
The obvious answer here, Isaac will be coming back from a torn ACL to a roster that looks drastically different than the last time he suited up, which was in the NBA’s bubble. The importance here stems from just how many questions Isaac will have to answer upon his return.
On the face of it, he is the guy here. A player with obvious Defensive Player of the Year potential, and around whom the organization could put a frightening blend of players. Tenacious youngsters at their position like Anthony and Suggs, a big man in Carter Jr. who has shown promise and even Carter-Williams for all of the switching ability he brings.
Both Isaac and Fultz are holdovers from a previous iteration of the group, but they are much more closely aligned with what is going on now. If Isaac returns and looks dominant early on, then it is clear he is the main pillar with which to build around. However, that is not the only question that needs answering.
In his short time in the league, Isaac has been injury-prone. He has played only 136 games since being drafted in 2017 and had only come back from a badly sprained knee for a couple of games before tearing his ACL. Even his rookie year didn’t go smoothly. An ankle issue limiting him to just 27 appearances.
He certainly deserves another shot to prove he is integral to the Magic’s future, but three notable injuries in as many years for a player of his build is a concern. He will also have just turned 24 by the time the regular season starts up again. By no means old, but already a few years ahead of the likes of Suggs, Hampton and Anthony.
The time is certainly this coming year for Isaac to come back and remind everybody how good he can be. He would also accelerate the rebuild taking place here, and in all likelihood inspire Suggs and Hampton to up their own games so as to win more now. It might hurt their draft positioning, but winning never harmed a young group. So much of this year is on Isaac and depends on how he performs once back on the court.