It’s 2025, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The Orlando Magic are signaling a major push towards contender status, with a ravenous and surprisingly battle-tested team full of young guns that are ready to put in the work to gain respect as a legitimate threat. Here’s a preview of what lies ahead for a unique Orlando Magic cast.

DEFENSE WINS.

As the preeminent OJMD (Online Jamahl Mosley Defender), even I have to admit that this will be a massive year for Coach Mose and his staff. I’m generally someone who thinks that most coaches in the league get a bad wrap—rarely credited with the good stuff and take the brunt of the criticism. It’s part of their job description, so I understand that aspect of it all, but I feel as though a small percentage of fans really do think that 100% of what they watch is masterminded by the coach and isn’t the players exercising free will and decision making for a decent chunk of the game. Man, sometimes players just clank shots and are tired and mistake prone. The particular gripe of the “Sure, we have no shooting, no real point guards, and four of our best players got hurt this season, but…” I saw quite often last season just about made me consider deleting every single social media account I had.

To me, where coaches really impact the game, especially with a young team, is in creating a solid identity (✔), crafting rotations where roles are clearly defined for most players, even if fans don’t like said rotations (✔), and in helping the young guys improve their games year by year (✔). Most of the Xs and Os stuff can be found within the assistants, because all you really need to do is copy and paste from the most successful offensive teams of the league—it’s having the personnel that matters the most. It’s why specific coaches can go from the NBA Finals to one of the worst teams of all-time, like Monty Williams, or being a top three coach at worst in Erik Spoelstra, and captain a perennial play-in team during the regular season (although he does work wonders in the playoffs), or how Budenholzer can get bounced around and spat out unceremoniously in the span of two seasons.

The cold, hard facts is that the Orlando Magic have gotten exponentially better every year under Mose, continuing with a torrid start last year before all of the injuries become unsustainable and made the improvement untenable. The front office finally did their job of stocking the cupboard, making a colorful offense possible in a world that was previously monochromatic. Coach Mose’s seat may get warm, but only if the team suddenly begins underachieving and not buying into their identity anymore. It’s only right to play it patient with a well-respected and inspiring coach, considering the front office took a few years to remember it had a pulse.

ACTUALIZING 6’10, 250.

The official nickname has been in front of us the entire time, ‘6’10, 250’. Although mistaken for Patrick Mahomes his rookie year at the F1 Miami Grand Prix, this is the year where rubber hits the road for Paolo. There was no hotter engagement hack this offseason than dropping a Paolo-JDub comparison tweet, making the timeline go absolutely insane, and while it’s fun to ragebait other fandoms and argue incessantly online, we all know there’s bigger fish to fry out of Lake Eola. Paolo has the aesthetic and panache of a purebred hooper with a throwback style, even bringing with him the not-so-well-received warts of efficiency and mid-range spam. His frame and skill-set alone is a frightening combination that he’s slowly deciphering and deconstructing, and once that realization meets the preparation and work he’s put in, it’s go time. The biggest things he’ll need to freshen up is his finishing through contact, i.e. capitalizing on it with more intent and care, as well as using that athleticism and brute strength around the paint as a warning for the opposition being in for a long day at the office. Paolo is one of the those rare players that can have a half-baked performance, leaving a bunch of points at the rim or the free throw line, chip in a three pointer or two, and still end the game with 32/8/5 without much effort.

I anticipate Paolo and Franz being in Orlando for a long time to come, even despite the Tatum-Brown “can it work?” discussions that have already cropped up. Sure, one of them will need a solidified three point shot at some juncture, but I can’t help but see how much they cheer for each other and want the other to succeed for me to think they would willingly split up unless they exhausted every avenue in the journey to get where they both clearly crave. This two-headed monster has an ample amount of assassins at the ready to help bring championship aspirations and hardware to a starved fan base.

*Source: Tony Huynh - @OrlandoMagic on X*

GERMAN EFFICIENCY.

The discussion of Dennis Schröder being in the Basketball Hall of Fame has become a hot button topic in the basketball world, but am I the only one thinking about where Franz Wagner will land when his Germany NT and NBA career come to a close? If I speak, I’m in big trouble. Franz is still getting underrated amongst the media and in the NBA ‘Top Whatever’ rankings, and while I can understand the hubbub about his suddenly missing three point shot, he’s just so damn elite as a driver, jumbo play maker, and on defense, AND the advanced stats show the alchemy he concocts in every lineup, that it’s hard to take outside discussion about him serious when people tear him down because of one aspect of his game.

And look, I’ll admit, it’s not nothing. The three point revolution has been televised, and you need to be respected as a shooter, especially in the playoffs, or it can become a painful slog to put points on the board when the paint is packed like Los Angeles traffic. I also see a lot of Orlando Magic media members and journalists erroneous reporting how the hitch started after his oblique injury, which is patently false, considering it’s been around in some form or another for damn near two years, and happened following the ‘22-23 season where he changed his shot to “speed up his release”. It just got egregiously noticeable last season where he would toss the ball around like the Plinko game on ‘The Price is Right’. I’m still a big believer in the shot becoming at least average, not only because of how much of a hard worker Boogie is and the form already looking more one note in EuroBasket, but also because you can never bet against German efficiency.

LETTING IT FLY.

I’ve always enjoyed Desmond Bane’s game, but never really made the time to dive deeply into it until he joined the Magic. Two things I noticed was that he plays way more around the rim than I expected, and he has a bit of funky shot release (or stance?)—which is perfectly fine since I’m fan of the Orlando Magic, home of the hitches. What I’m not used to is expectation of a shot going in from a guard at even an average level, which is almost like never having chicken or rice or bread or eggs in your kitchen. A real “Damn, you live like this?” vibe going on in O-Town.

His total cost was four draft picks, admittedly high value for a guy like Bane, but he’s invaluable for a team like the Magic—plus, you can’t ignore inflation. There’s a strange voodoo going on where shooting guards get drawn and quartered the moment they put on a pinstriped jersey, and I don’t know if the stats are Teflon, but something about Desmond Bane makes me feel like this is where the tides will actually start turning. He changes the equation of what can be done on the court, adding at least a few pages to the offensive playbook. Isaac Newton may be on the sidelines pointing out this concept of ‘gravity’ that has eluded the front office for a long, long time.

HARNESSING THE ATOMIC DOG.

A recent report on Jalen Suggs’ rehab and recovery may pump the breaks on a fully healthy Suggs without a minutes restriction at the start of the season—and that’s okay. I don’t anticipate the medical staff to be Jonathan Isaac level cautious, but the best thing for Jalen Suggs IS to protect himself from Jalen Suggs. If the Magic need to play him like a closer in baseball with five minute spurts throughout the game, so be it.

Jalen had a peculiar year last season. Watching the games in real time, his shot didn’t look awful to me, yet the percentages paled in comparison to his previous year. A positive development for Suggs, however, was his free throw percentage, going from a career mid-70s shooter to damn near 90%, which is a substantial leap in a career filled with conflicting numbers. His real effect, of course, was the team-wide shock wave felt post-injury, where the entire squad looked like The Walking Dead zombies without a penchant for flesh for a month stretch after his knee injury. He’s the electric current keeping the lights on, and the generator may need a few kicks to the side to get it sputtering when Suggs isn’t on the floor—hell, in the arena. It truly is a shame that the Suggs, Franz, Paolo trio only played in about five or six games last year, and people forget that Franz left at halftime of two of those “healthy” games because of the flu.

If anybody watched the 2025 NBA Playoffs, we saw direct proof of concept about the sort of Caruso-Cason-Dort archetype that wreaks havoc even against the best offenses in the league, and we know Suggs is a defender that plays like a wasp inside of a sweatshirt. If you’re like me, you watched plenty of Suggs hype videos during the offseason on days where you needed a pick me up, and just like caffeine, it’s surprisingly effective. Get well quickly, Jalen!

KEEP IT SIMPLE, _ _ _ _ _ _.

I left it up to interpretation because I don’t want anyone thinking I’m calling Wendell stupid, although the phrase itself is most definitely applicable to his game. A truly baffling player, where he possesses the engine parts of a sound big man that any GM would love on their team. There’s evidence of him being able to shoot, he can finish inside, he can switch and defend out on the perimeter, he can rebound the ball, has decent passing chops, he isn’t scared to mix it up, and yet…

You have times where the simple play eludes him, like an uncontested rebound gets fumbled out of his hands, or an easy put-back gets egregiously missed, or he double pump fakes an open basket, or he gets whacked in the face for the 50th time. I often describe watching his game as like Krang controlling the levers of his limbs while his brain makes other decisions. Desmond Bane recently mentioned WCJ in an interview, pumping up his stock and importance to the team, emphasizing how vital it will be to have a big like him to play with as a straw for all of these talents throw into the mixer. His solid play may not raise the ceiling of the team, but it will buoy the floor.

TINKERING UNTIL IT WORKS.

Jonathan Isaac has been suspiciously quiet this summer, a comment on which I’m not going to expound on because the FCC might just █████████ ….

All joking aside, I do love seeing how active Jonathan is with the rookies and the team in general. Even though he’s becoming a bit lost in the shuffle on a Magic roster with more and more bigger names and acquisitions, he’s still as important as ever when it comes to the locker room and in shaping the rock solid identity of the Mosley-era Orlando Magic. I think we all saw it last year—JI looked a step slow with the added weight. The aura of thorns buff still had his advanced numbers looking formidable, and he graded out as one of the top defenders in the league, but the eye-test showed a bit of a downward trend. It’s not far-fetched to call him a walking “what if” even though he actively plays minutes (albeit, way less than people would like) and is hopefully past his injury-prone phase, but the guy has a tangible top three skill that even our young All-NBA level wings don’t have yet. Tinker with that weight until it feels right again, do a little bit less dribbling after getting a rebound, become a respectable shooter again from the corners, and cause enough disruption and havoc in those 15-20 minutes, and JI will continue being the longest tenured Magician. If any of those things begin to falter, I have no doubt that Weltman and Parker will begin to answer more phones this year than they ever have in the past.

I personally find JI to be one of the more enjoyable players to watch on the team when he’s in the zone defensively, the closest thing outside of Wemby in being a basketball Kraken. I’d love for him to stay.

TAMING THE FIRE.

Goga Bitadze was a bit of a revelation for the Georgian team during EuroBasket ‘25. Slim Jesus was on the Finnish team, but Goga had the Real Jesus look down pat. Not to mention, he was also cosplaying a little bit as Indiana Goga, with his perimeter skills entering the fray again, which could actually change the equation quite a bit for the Magic. The pivot to him becoming a paint player and play finisher may have saved his career, but slowly adding back the perimeter aspects of his past will prolong it.

That said, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Goga plays like Anger from ‘Inside Out’. And as Goga rages on the court, the Goga versus Wendell debate rages on in Magic spaces and on message boards. I’ve noticed a small-yet-loud minority(?) (not even sure about the splits at this point) of fans that actively dislike Wendell Carter Jr. and think Goga Bitadze will solve all of the Magic’s problems. The issue is that they’re similar rebounders, have different strengths defensively and offensively, and one is more accident/injury prone on the court with the other being more emotionally unstable. I don’t envy the coaching staff when it comes to having complete faith in either of them long-term. Goga will also be an attractive trade candidate the entire year, depending on what happens with the big man situation once again. Goga’s fate will be one of the more interesting side plots to follow over the course of the season, but for now, I’m glad he’s on ‘our’ side.

EMBRACING THE WING LIFE.

When I first saw Joe Ingles suit up on the court for the Magic, I immediately thought about how AB should study under him as his disciple. He most definitely obtained some of that “F you” attitude Ingles carried, which I adore—Anthony Black doesn’t let anyone punk him. But more so, I was hoping that he could envision a future where he’s the ultimate wing connector, not strictly a pure point, akin to a more athletic Joe Ingles. Really embracing that secondary playmaker role that can build rapport with a few specific players and spam those actions to hell, forcing teams to over-commit in stopping it.

AB is obviously a gold mine of untapped potential. He’s always had a sturdy lower half, but now you’re starting to see that grown man strength Animorphing in that upper area, adding to an already ideal frame. But the skinny of the important stuff is that the Orlando Magic were not good when Anthony Black was a starter last year, and whether that was happenstance or based on noisy data, it still occurred. He’ll have to realize that randomly picking up his dribble shows a lack of confidence in his own ability. He’s a huge guard that can get downhill, and he’s expanding his range and comfort with his shot. The sooner he realizes his raw power that can easily be transmuted, the better it will be for the entire team.

THE STEADY BOAT CAPTAIN.

I didn’t necessarily subscribe to the idea of this team needing to acquire a steady, mistake-free point guard by any means, but having one in addition to a massive get like Desmond Bane makes complete sense. By pairing a knock down shooter and scorer with an actual living, breathing point guard, you aren’t searching for that remote under the couch anymore that’s too far back for your arm to reach. Selfishly though, after a few seasons of watching a fiery, emotional, loosey-goosey team full of guys who love to make the toughest passes for no reason, it will be nice to see a bit of a conservative* basketball approach on the floor.

(*Jonathan Isaac joke somewhere here.)

Tyus may have the easiest role to understand on the team—pass ball, take care of ball, shoot ball. He will have to deal with teams putting him in actions on defense, but hopefully he’ll be surrounded by a few of the many defensive psychos on the team to keep the boat leaks to a minimum.

BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF…

If you squint your eyes, you could almost see the makings of a Mike Conley in Jase. The issue is, you have to squint your eyes to even see Jase.

I’ll wager that he sees more court time than people are predicting, but not enough time to come to any conclusions about his role on the team this year. Although, while writing this, Jase was spotted wearing a red starters jersey on the first day of training camp. It could very well be propaganda and fake news, but if Suggs isn’t ready to go at the start of the season, we do know that Coach Mose likes to take third stringers and make them starters as to not disrupt the bench.

Jase (and Tyus) are going to be interesting trial runs to see if Orlando can sacrifice some size and defensive versatility in the name of offense. Cole Anthony was relatively small, but played like a bigger guard, so he doesn’t really count. But if Jase truly becomes unlocked at any point in time over the next three years, he’ll be a guard that Orlando hasn’t had in its possession for a very, very long time.

da GLUE PIECE.

Tristan da Silva had a beautiful EuroBasket contribution for Germany with his lights out shooting performances and several clutch moments, including that one half court shot against Slovenia. While Tristan had relatively low shooting percentages as a rookie, you just know that area of his game come along at some point. Plus, he was busy mewing and collecting sick nicknames like ‘da Silver Surfer’ and ‘Bronze Wagner’. I know people have joked about Franz learning from Tristan about how to shoot a basketball without a hitch, but Tristan would also massively benefit from a Franz Driving Class. To put it bluntly, Tristan is an awful finisher around the basket. The frustrating thing is that it looks so aesthetically pleasing—the tight dribble, maybe a Eurostep or a deft spin move, all immediately ruined by an unnecessary contortion of his body or laying it up soft enough to get it pinned loudly from behind.

Regardless, TDS is going to be the sneaky glue piece that this team desperately needs. It doesn’t matter that the Magic’s best two best players are wings, Tristan da Silva is going to have plenty of opportunities to contribute in big moments for this team… especially with a roster that can throw out so many different looks to opponents.

ONE STEP AT A TIME.

Moe Wagner hasn’t been on the court for a while, but it was heartwarming to see how Franz honored Big Bro as Germany took home gold in EuroBasket. I’ll keep this short and sweet since I’m writing novels under other player sections, but the entire roster and town is going to erupt when Moe steps back on the floor. I hope they activate him during a home game so that he can get the reception he deserves. I’ve been a long-time flip flopper on the effectiveness of a big man that isn’t a great rebounder or defender, but the Moe Wagner of the last few years is just so punishing as an inside finisher that it doesn’t really even matter, as long as he’s out there with an Isaac or Goga type as well.

As Jamahl Mosley famously quipped, “Moe Wagner wakes up with 10 points.”

DE-PENDA-BILITY.

(Sorry, I had to.)

As a fan of both of the Magic’s 2025 draft picks, Jase was the main motivating factor for me tuning into Summer League, a league that technically involves players shooting a basketball into a hoop, but more often resembles a WWE Raw taping. To my surprise, I found myself more fascinated with what sort of player was animating on the court in front of me in Noah Penda. He’s like an in shape Georges Niang with a sturdier frame, with dribbling chops and point forward ability, all while having a perverse joy in blocking jump shots. He’s going to be getting in a lot of work in Osceola, but will undoubtedly fill in spot minutes on the main roster once those inevitable bumps and bruises come-a-knockin’.

If he continues his solid all-around contributions past Summer League and into training camp, he will factor in sooner than later for a coach that values defensive energy and intensity, as well as for a roster that is quickly going to start trimming the fat.

CAP CASUALTY OR USEFUL GUARD?

Unfortunately for Jett, there just isn’t very much meat on the bone when it comes to discussing his NBA career thus far. He has inflexible hips, average NBA athleticism, and his swift shot motion often works against him. All that being said, I can also argue that Gradey Dick or Jordan Hawkins haven’t done enough on their respective teams to make Jett a truly regrettable pick when it come to picking the wrong shooter, but there were certainly other directions to look at during the draft when it came to swinging for a young prospect.

Orlando is currently unable to roster a 15th player because of their salary cap situation, and one of the most common talking points in Magic spaces this off-season has been if it’s worth keeping Jett on the roster, or if it’s better to free up some extra salary and flexibility by moving him. There was some chatter about him joining his father in Brooklyn, although that’s a team that just drafted like four point guards and then traded for Kobe Bufkin to join them, Battle Royale style. I’m slightly bullish on Jett, betting on him having enough juice to become a microwaver scorer and shooter on solid percentages in the NBA, and his defense did look better in spurts last year (at least, managing not to look completely lost), but at some point, that shot just has to start going in. It’s what made him such an appealing prospect in the first place. I want to see Jett do well, it just seems more and more likely that it won’t happen in Orlando.

MAKING MAGIC - ‘25 ORLANDO PREVIEW

DEFENSE WINS.

ACTUALIZING 6’10, 250.

GERMAN EFFICIENCY.

LETTING IT FLY.

HARNESSING THE ATOMIC DOG.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, _ _ _ _ _ _.

TINKERING UNTIL IT WORKS.

TAMING THE FIRE.

EMBRACING THE WING LIFE.

THE STEADY BOAT CAPTAIN.

BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF…

da GLUE PIECE.

ONE STEP AT A TIME.

DE-PENDA-BILITY.

CAP CASUALTY OR USEFUL GUARD?

A PLACE FOR MY WRITING.

MAKING MAGIC - ‘25 ORLANDO PREVIEW

DEFENSE WINS.

ACTUALIZING 6’10, 250.

GERMAN EFFICIENCY.

LETTING IT FLY.

HARNESSING THE ATOMIC DOG.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, _ _ _ _ _ _.

TINKERING UNTIL IT WORKS.

TAMING THE FIRE.

EMBRACING THE WING LIFE.

THE STEADY BOAT CAPTAIN.

BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF…

da GLUE PIECE.

ONE STEP AT A TIME.

DE-PENDA-BILITY.

CAP CASUALTY OR USEFUL GUARD?

20 Years on Last.fm: A Retrospective

A PLACE FOR MY WRITING.