The Magic have steadily improved over the last few seasons, and all the pieces are in place for them to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this upcoming season. In a division that projects to be relatively weak, I’m taking a crack at Orlando to go over their win total once again, as well as to win the Southeast Division. Here’s why.
Orlando Magic OVER 47.5 Wins (-110) — 1-unit
Orlando Magic Southeast Division Winner (-150) — 1-unit
Orlando won just 22 games in the 2021-22 season, but it landed them the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. After some controversial reporting over who the Magic would take, they opted to go with Paolo Banchero, who is developing into a superstar. He helped immediately improve the team as a rookie, getting the Magic to 34 wins that season. They showed enough promise late in that season for me to play Orlando over 36.5 wins last season, which easily cashed.
Now the Magic are off a 47-win season, and nearly advanced to the second-round of the postseason in 2024. In the end, the experience of the Cavaliers was too much, and Cleveland advanced in a wild Game 7. But that’s how things go for young teams in the NBA, and now it’s time for the Magic to grow up even more.
Staying under the win total this season would mean regression, and as long as key pieces like Banchero and Franz Wagner are able to stay healthy, this squad should only be on the up. Both have been steadily improving as scorers, playmakers and defenders since entering the league. This frontcourt duo has good size, and gives Orlando a lot of versatility to have two forwards that they can run their offense through.
The backcourt and the center position have been larger question marks for the Magic, but this should be a season they get more stability. Their big offseason addition was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who brings immediate veteran leadership and experience to the roster. KCP won a ring in Denver, and is a very well respected wing in the league. He’ll be a knockdown perimeter shooter for Orlando, which they’ve needed alongside Banchero and Wagner to help space the floor. He’s also a terrific defender, which will even further help a young team with a ton of athleticism and defensive potential.
While a lot of the prospects Orlando has drafted early in the first-round haven’t panned out, playing KCP alongside the likes of Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black and Cole Anthony should be a solid guard rotation. Another former Nugget in Gary Harris is also still in Orlando, providing even further depth.
The Magic recently paid Wendell Carter, who is in place as the starting center. Carter has held his own in recent seasons, but did take a step back last season when he was injured. If he can recapture some of the numbers he was putting up his first two years in Orlando, that would be a nice boost. But there’s a lot of potential and depth for the Magic up front. The team used a first-rounder on Tristan da Silva over the summer, and the Colorado product impressed in Summer League.
There’s also the mystery of what Jonathan Isaac could become. Believe it or not, Isaac is the highest paid player on the team, getting paid at just the right time. Injuries have plagued the big man throughout his career, but when he’s healthy, Isaac is extremely versatile. We saw glimpses of what he can do last season, and while it would be silly to bank on getting anything too significant out of him, Isaac has the potential to be a star if he ever puts it all together.
This is a very deep team with youth, size and athleticism. The Magic will play hard every night, and that playoff experience last season should help them continue to improve this season. Caldwell-Pope was the perfect addition to help the Magic take the next step, and I think they do just that in 2024-25.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
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