THE NBA IS TERRIFIED OF THE ORLANDO MAGIC…

THE NBA IS TERRIFIED OF THE ORLANDO MAGIC…

Why is no one talking about the Orlando Magic? They had one of the best off seasons in 2025, but nobody seems to take them seriously as true contenders after their breakout in the 2024 season where they won 47 games and finished as a fifth seed in the East before pushing the Cavs to a game seven which nobody expected. The team unfortunately fell back to earth last season finishing 41 and 41 which was good enough for the seven seed in the East. But unfortunately they flamed down the first round again losing to the Boston Celtics. The team and the fan base shouldn’t be too upset about it though because the future looks extremely bright. The team was dealing with several major injuries last season which led to their downfall. Palo Ben Carroll, Fran Vagner, Jaylen Suggs, and Moritz Vagner all missed major time. With all of these guys projected to be healthy next season, the Magic could get homec court advantage for the first time since 2011. Shout out to Dwight Howard and Jir Nelson. Absolute buckets. The biggest issue with these Magic teams has been their terrible shooting. Last season, the Magic ranked dead last in the NBA in three-point percentage and three-pointers made per game. And it got even worse in the playoffs. Out of all 16 playoff teams, the Magic ranked dead last when it came to three-point percentage, shooting 26% from three, which is absolutely terrible. They were just throwing up bricks out there. If you made it this far in the video, it probably means that you like NBA content, so I’d really appreciate if you subscribed. I’m trying to grow this channel and build a community of people that love basketball. Thanks. Anyways, the first thing the Magic did this off season was address their shooting. They traded Cole Anthony, KCP, and some first round picks for Desmond Bane. When the news first broke on this trade, a lot of people said that the Magic got fleeced, but I actually really like the move. Cole Anthony is a decent scorer off the bench, but he’s not the most efficient, and he’s definitely not the best shooter in the world. And Casey P simply forgot how to shoot. During his time with the Nuggets, he shot 42% from three when they won the title. Last season, he shot 34% from three. Unacceptable from a guy they paid a decent amount of money to to come in and hit threes. You know who can hit threes? Desmond Bane. He’s a career 41% three-point shooter on six attempts per game. Since he became a full-time starter, Bane averages 21 points, four assists, and five rebounds a night, providing the Magic with much neededed shot creation ability, something they’ve really struggled to find outside of Paula Benero and France Vagner. The Magic lean on their two young stars so much that when their shots not falling, they’re basically going to lose every time. Having a guy like Desmond Bane come in that could easily score 20 points a night is a huge luxury to have. And while I really like the Bane move, the magic didn’t stop there. They also brought in point guard Taius Jones on a one-year $7 million contract. An absolute bargain. He’s widely regarded as one of the best backup point guards in the league. He’s a phenomenal pass first point guard, which is rare in today’s game, which he showed really well in Washington when he averaged 7.3 assists per game. He also shot 40% from three last season, which is really going to help the Magic shooting struggles. I mean, this guy was so good that he had people questioning if John Morant made the Grizzlies worse. In his last three years on the team, when he started, the Grizzlies went 37 and 17. Pretty insane numbers for someone who’s been a career backup. He’s also going to be a great veteran for Anthony Black to learn from. So overall, just a fantastic signing. They also brought back Meritz Vagner on a one-year $5 million contract, which is a pretty big deal considering his brother is a star player on the team. But this isn’t a charity case like the Nasis Tumbo on the Bucks. Meritz is actually a really solid player. Before he got hurt last season, he was having a career year, averaging 13 points and five rebounds. But in my opinion, most of the value that he brings is simply from his energy. If you’re a Magic fan or you watch Magic games, you can confirm that when Meritz enters a game, the energy completely shifts. He’s always going at 100% and he’s hyping up his teammates and the crowd all at the same time. He’s just a winning player. And speaking of winning players, the biggest move that the Magic made this off season was resigning Paulo Banko. They signed him to a 5-year $239 million rookie max extension, which was completely deserved. Since being drafted first overall in 2022, Paulo has completely turned the Magic franchise around. At just the young age of 22, he’s already brought the Magic back to the playoffs in the past two seasons, as well as made an all-star appearance. Last season, he put up averages of 26 points, five assists, and eight rebounds a night. And after the All-Star break, he put the league on notice, averaging 29 points a game to end the season, which ranked fourth in the NBA, only behind guys like Shay, Luca, and Joic. Pretty good company. He also showed everyone that he could be a playoff riser, averaging 29 points, eight rebounds, and four assists a night while shooting 44% from three. Paulo’s game really reminds me of a young LeBron. He’s 6’10” and 250 lbs, but he moves like a guard, even though he shouldn’t cuz he’s way too big. But his game is extremely polished. He moves super smooth and he’s just an absolute unicorn at his size. The main weakness in his game is his three-point shooting. He’s a 32% career shooter from three. But if he can ever figure out his shot and get it even a little bit above league average, he’s going to be an absolute nightmare for defenses to deal with. He’s going to be the face of this league. Paulo’s co-star Fron isn’t too bad either. Last season, he put up 24 points, five assists, and six rebounds a night. His game is very similar to Paulo’s. He’s another 610 forward that moves like a guard and is extremely skilled. Most casual fans don’t seem to know much about him, but he’s an absolute bucket. So, get familiar. Just like Paulo, his major weakness is his three-point shooting. Last season, he shot 29% from three, which is just not acceptable from a star player. When both of your primary scorers can’t shoot the three ball well, it makes it extremely easy to guard you. Having Desmond Bane should improve the team spacing, but at the end of the day, Paul and Fron need to hit their open threes. Last season, the Orlando Magic had the third worst offense in the entire NBA. And a team with two guys as good as Paulo and Fron should never be that bad at offense, but their spacing was just terrible. I genuinely believe that the additions of Desmond Bane and Tus Jones are really going to help the offense and their spacing as a whole. But if Paul and France can improve their shooting even a little bit, as I said, their offense could skyrocket. And if this team can make their offense even average, they’re going to be an absolute problem for other teams cuz their defense was ranked second in the NBA. This elite defense was led by their point guard Jaylen Suggs who was having a career year last season putting up 164 and4 a night before getting ruled out with an injury. But he’s an absolute menace on defense. He’s one of the most elite perimeter defenders in the league. In 2024, he made the alldefense second team and finished 10th in defensive player of the year voting. He’s a pretty average three-point shooter for his career, but he’s shown flashes like in 2024 when he shot nearly 40% from three. Similar to Suggs, the Magic supporting cast has also shown flashes of potential with guys like Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Tristan Dilva, Wendell Carter, and Goa Batad. I especially like what I’ve seen from Anthony Black so far. I think he’s a really solid backup point guard. He’s a good ball handler, playmaker, and defender. And just like other guys on this team, if he can figure out his three-point shot, he’s going to be a staple in this rotation. Jonathan Isaac and Tristan Dilovva are both good wing defenders and they give the Magic great size, while Goabatz and Wendell Carter give the Magic solid minutes at the center position. Not anything crazy, but they’re both solid. I personally would love to see a guy like Caleb Houston get more looks. He shot 40% from three last season and could really help with the team spacing. Similarly, I also hope that the team gives Jace Richardson some minutes. They just drafted him in the 2025 draft and he’s a 40% three-point shooter coming out of Michigan State. What it really comes down to for this team is if they can improve their three-point shooting. They already have an elite defense, so if they can improve their offense, they’re going to be a problem. And if there was ever a time to go allin for a championship, it would be this season. With Jason Tatum and Tiger Taliburn both injured, the Celtics and Pacers are not going to compete. And clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks the Magic can make a huge jump this season. If you look at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Magic have the sixth highest odds in the NBA to win the NBA Finals. The only real threats to them in the East are the Cavs and the Knicks, who I think the Magic could easily beat if they figure out their offense. But like I said, it all comes down to their three-point shooting, specifically Apollo and Fron. If they can start hitting their jump shots, the NBA should be terrified because the Magic are Apollo and Fron’s jump shot away from competing for the 2026 NBA title. What do you guys think? How many games are the Magic going to win this year? Are they going to make the NBA Finals? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll see you in the next video. Thanks.

The Orlando Magic are in a prime position to make a run this NBA season after making a splash in the off season and bringing in Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones. According to Vegas Sportsbooks, the Magic have the 6th highest odds to win the 2026 NBA Finals next season. This is the highest the team has been ranked during the preseason in over a decade. Will their young core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Desmond Bane be able to deliver the city of Orlando an NBA title? #nba #orlandomagic #paolobanchero #franzwagner #jalensuggs #desmondbane #nbanews #nbaupdates