5 Storylines to Watch Entering Orlando Magic Training Camp

The Orlando Magic's preseason training camp begins in a week. Jalen Suggs' possible contract extension and the offense's need for more playmaking are two of the talking points that will demand attention.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley walks the sideline during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Amway Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

ORLANDO –– The Orlando Magic begin training camp on Oct. 1, the first time that head coach Jamahl Mosley and players have been together in a team-organized setting since a first-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 5.

Orlando altered its roster slightly this summer, adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a veteran three-and-D specialist with NBA championship pedigree. Some contributors from last season's 47-win campaign are gone — notably, Joe Ingles (signed with Minnesota) and Markelle Fultz (free agent) —but much of the Magic's breakthrough core is intact.

What heights will this group reach, and are more breakthroughs coming? It won't be long before we start getting our first answers.

Let's look at five storylines as camp approaches:

Jalen Suggs' potential contract extension

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Amway Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Magic have the potential to extend guard Jalen Suggs, entering his fourth season, and avoid going to restricted free agency next summer. The deadline for a contract extension is Oct. 21, the day before the NBA regular season.

For the first two seasons of Suggs' career, the former Gonzaga star was a defensive pest first; anything else offensively was a bonus. Last season, he took a massive step forward as a three-point threat, becoming one of the league's best two-way players on the perimeter. Suddenly, he was not only one of the NBA's best point-of-attack defenders, but he could hurt you from outside on the other end of the floor.

Here’s an attempt to quantify the best 3 and D guards in the NBA. It’s nothing too complex, just simply the sum of their DLEBRON and 3P% Z-Scores. I think this matches the eye test pretty well. pic.twitter.com/JvYjMRlgWY

— Bucknell Sports Analytics (@BuckAnalytics) September 23, 2024

Alongside Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, Suggs can be the third long-term piece in the Magic's core. He and Wagner were selected three picks apart in the same draft class, so there are no issues regarding timeline. All that's left to figure out is whether or not Suggs will sign an extension, and if so, for how much.

Suggs isn't necessarily a max-caliber player at this point in his career, with last year being his first as a true third option after Banchero and Wagner. Would he command the same kind of money that Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels got last season? Is the average annual value in the contract the deciding lynchpin? Or, would Suggs and his camp rather test restricted free agency to see if another team offers more money than Orlando following this season, requiring the Magic to either match or let him walk at the offered figure?

As camp progresses, whether or not Orlando locks in its young emergent guard is a key point of interest – for now and for the future.

Whether or not Orlando finds more playmaking this season

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (11) misses an attempted steal against Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Magic offense doesn't hide the fact that Banchero and Wagner orchestrate things despite their frontcourt "position." Both are 6-foot-10 playmakers for both themselves and others around them while shouldering the majority of the scoring load on a nightly basis. Paired with the defensive identity that requires buy-in from every player on the floor, much is asked of Orlando's talented frontcourt.

Does that suggest they can't handle it? No, but there's a reality where Banchero and Wagner could become even better if they were secondary ball-handlers, when their playmaking chops could be better utilized in spurts. But if the ball is out of their hands, who would the Magic turn to?

With Caldwell-Pope laying claim to the starting two-guard spot, Suggs likely slides back to the one. Orlando's point guard-by-committee approach and missed games elsewhere saw numerous players fill that space. The Magic were 28th in the NBA in assists per game last regular season and dead last in the playoffs. Overall, Orlando was in the bottom third of the league for possessions a game (100.5), signifying a slower pace and an isolation-heavy approach.

Can Orlando find easier buckets with better playmaking this upcoming season? And, do the Magic have the personnel currently on the roster to fulfill that need? Whether the Magic opt for developing Suggs' point guard abilities, allow others to potentially blossom into the role (i.e. Anthony Black), or search for a point guard elsewhere, it's an area that begs for improvement.

How the Magic handles its trio of bigs

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) blocks a shot attempt by Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) during the second half at KIA Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

As he enters his seventh season and fourth full one with the Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. told reporters this summer that he's healthy and he's out to prove that he can play an 82-game slate. It's been a long journey to this point, where Carter Jr. described his lengthy injury history as a "stigma" on his career.

He's played more than 60 games in a season just once, and last year's 55 were the third-most in his career to this point. Just 25 years old, Carter Jr. has a team-friendly contract, is a solid offensive player who can space the floor, and is efficient as a scorer when given the chance. Last year, he posted a career-best three-point percentage (37.4% on 3.1 attempts a game) and his eFG (effective field goal percentage) was in the 70th percentile of bigs according to Cleaning the Glass (60.0%).

But he splits time with two other bigs down low, Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze. That trio has come together all by outside acquisition – Carter Jr. was in the return for Nikola Vucevic from Chicago, and both Wagner and Bitadze were waiver pickups. It's been a good platoon thus far.

"They’re like brothers to me," Carter Jr. said this summer. "Ever since last year, we created a phenomenal bond to the point that we all care about winning. That’s very rare that you find that in the NBA. Guys all have their own separate agendas, which is good, a good competitive edge. But at the same time, we all just want to win.

"Ultimately, that’s the most important thing because when we win, everybody eats. I think they’ve got a good understanding of that."

Offensively, Wagner is one of the best in the NBA at converting around the rim – finishing fifth in rim FG% among the top 50 in attempts.

Top 5 in the Last 5 Seasons: Rim FG%

What stands out? pic.twitter.com/EMWpMVXk83

— NBA University (@NBA_University) September 23, 2024

Defensively, Bitadze is one of the NBA's better rim protectors. He blocked 4.1% of opponent shots last season, which was in the 97th percentile among bigs last year, and crashed the offensive glass at a team-high rate in 2023-24. In Carter Jr.'s absence, 33 of Bitadze's 49 appearances were starts.

How Orlando delegates playing time, should everyone remain healthy, will be worth monitoring – especially given that both Wagner and Bitadze earned new deals with the Magic this offseason. A few teams around the league need centers, and rumors have circulated that there's potential interest in Carter Jr. among other potentially available bigs.

Given the contract figures and Orlando's cap flexibility, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the front office fields calls regarding some of those in the rotation this season.

Playing time to sort out for recent draft picks

Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) shoots in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Orlando's success in the draft has catalyzed the Magic's return to the playoffs. But that success also has left a puzzle to piece together on the back end: How do the Magic find playing time for its young talent that was drafted after the foundational members?

Anthony Black was the sixth pick in 2023 and Jett Howard the 11th. Black saw action in 69 games last year and made a considerable amount of starts in the by-committee guard rotation. Howard, on the other hand, spent most of his time last year in G League. It's not uncommon for playoff teams to feature fewer contributions from their younger players, despite the Magic's youth a season ago. Compared to many competitors this year, Orlando still has one of the NBA's younger rosters.

Black figures to get plenty of chances with Fultz out of the picture, but he'll contend with Cole Anthony and Gary Harris for playing time. Howard is in that mix, too, but he and 2024 draft pick Tristan da Silva could be entrenched in competition for minutes at the three behind Franz Wagner. That spot was occupied by Ingles last year, but Orlando needs perimeter scoring in its second unit. Howard and da Silva, along with Caleb Houstan, a second-round pick in 2022, factor into that conversation.

Expect all to get considerable run in the preseason and early portions of the season. But when the tail end of the year rolls around and the opportunities for playing time shrink, the odds that all of them are heavily in the mix appear slim.

Final two-way spots to be determined

Orlando Magic guard Mac McClung (10) poses for a photo during Media Day at AdventHealth Training Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

NBA rosters allow teams to carry three two-way contract players rather than two, meaning the official size of a roster to start the regular season is 18 players deep. In the offseason, however, rosters can expand to 21 with the inclusion of non-guaranteed deals and training camp invites, otherwise known as Exhibit 10 contracts. Last week, the Magic announced five roster moves to fill out their 21 heading into camp.

Trevelin Queen, Admiral Schofield and Kevon Harris occupied the Magic's three spots last season. This year, Queen is the only player currently under a two-way contract with the Magic, which requires less than four years of NBA experience to be eligible. But Orlando has five players on an Exhibit 10 contract – Mac McClung, Javonte Smart, Ethan Thompson, Jarrett Culver and Jalen Slawson.

Of those five, two could earn two-way contracts as they'll be in camp with the Magic starting next week. But Orlando likely figures to keep tabs on other teams' decisions around the league regarding who could be released elsewhere.

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