The Orlando Magic got a lot of buzz as a darkhorse championship contender in the preseason. With their young forward duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the return of Jalen Suggs, and the acquisition of Desmond Bane in the offseason, the Magic had the makings of a top seed in the East.
It is still early on in the season, but Orlando has looked anything but a contender. Through 11 games, the Magic are just 5-6 and have had trouble creating consistent offense once again. This is a franchise that has not finished above 20th in offense in over a decade.
Those same troubles have persisted this season, something that we should have saw coming because of Orlando’s active offseason.
The Magic haven't figured out how to integrate their new pieces
While the moves that they made were praised, and rightfully so, Orlando has yet to complete the next step: integrating those pieces. Bane has been one of the best shooters in the league since 2021, as he is one of three players to hit at least 800 threes on a 40 percent clip.
Banchero and Wagner have not played with a shooter like Bane at all in their careers, so it has been a challenge for them to create quality looks off of drive and kicks. The star duo seems used to having to create everything for themselves and others on the perimeter.
In addition to that, the emergence of players like Anthony Black, and Tristan da Silva are welcome developments, but that adds more players that need the ball offensively. The Magic have a lot of moving parts, and they have versatile pieces, but it is on head coach Jamahl Mosley to integrate a scheme that caters to his players.
Orlando still has time, but must figure it out fast
Rankings like 19th in offensive rating, 23rd in three-point percentage, 23rd in field-goals made per game, and 25th in assists per game are simply not going to cut it if the Magic want to be taken seriously as contenders this season. Even in a weak East, Orlando is leaving themselves to be exposed come playoff time once again for their lack of structure offensively.
In years past, the Magic’s struggles could be blamed on not having enough pieces on offense for their lack of success. Now, they have everything they need. They have volume scoring, floor-spacing, and enough playmaking to make this work.
There is a lot of season left to figure it out, but come December or January, if the same issues persist, we could see some changes in Orlando.