Bitadze-Carter Jr. Lineup 'Working Well' For Magic in Banchero's Absence

Necessity created opportunity for the Orlando Magic when Paolo Banchero suffered a season-altering injury. With Goga Bitadze and Wendell Carter Jr. playing together as starters, the Magic may have stumbled upon their best lineup of available players.

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) and center Goga Bitadze (35) defend Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the first quarter at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Around this time in the NBA calendar, about 25 games into the regular season, Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner says the nicks and bruises start to actually hurt.

"But," the fourth-year forward began during his appearance on The Jim Rome Show Thursday, "I think we're all maintaining."

By now, the Magic are accustomed to playing through injury and absence. For the past five weeks, they have managed without Paolo Banchero, their leading scorer and All-Star forward. Given that he just recently returned to the court, Banchero could need a few more weeks before he can play again.

When a contributor of his magnitude is sidelined, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley says there is no full-on replacing what he provides. But there are ways for others to step up in his absence, and the collective can help facilitate that process while he heals.

Two games after Banchero went down, so did starting center Wendell Carter Jr. Rookie wing Tristan da Silva took Banchero's place. Goga Bitadze started for Carter.

Carter returned several games ago, but instead of replacing Bitadze, he's has replaced da Silva in the starting lineup. That reshuffling has proven productive.

Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Carter, and Bitadze have played four games together now — one of seven Magic starting lineups to have spent at least 25 minutes on the floor. These five have been Orlando's best metrically:

• 4-0 record
• +38 point differential (1st)
• +34.2 net rating (1st)
• 135.9 offensive rating (1st), 101.7 defensive rating
• 60.6 REB% (1st)
• 67.7 eFG% (1st)
• 71.1 TS% (1st)

"It's not really an adjustment," Carter said Saturday of playing alongside Bitadze in the starting lineup. "We're both defensive-minded players [and] we take a lot of pride on the defensive end. Playing with Goga, if anything, he makes it a lot easier on that end."

After an 8-point, 6-rebound, 5-block performance versus Brooklyn on Friday night, Bitadze echoed the same sentiment.

"It's easy," Bitadze said of Carter. "Wendell is a great player. He can shoot from three. I haven't been shooting it well, so he can spread the floor. We crash the glass. We dominate the glass inside with me and him, too. Defensively as well, we're a force, so it's easy."

Bitadze and Carter Jr. have combined for 15 blocks and nine steals in the four games together. Both are in the 91st percentile or higher in Dunks and Threes' defensive EPM metric.

Above all, it's the defense that keeps a player in the Magic rotation. But that lineup has delivered the usual defense with better offense. They've found rhythm and chemistry working together, Mosley said, and they're making the right play for both one another and the team as a whole.

"It's kinda hard to score on that," Caldwell-Pope. "When you got me, Suggs [and] Franz guarding the wings, and then once you get – if you get past us — you got the two bigs guys down there, shot-blockers, to change a lot of shots for us and also cleaning the glass. That's when we get out and push in transition, what we're starting to get better at." As it happens, KCP is enjoying his best shooting stretch with this lineup — 52% on three-pointers, 59% on all baskets.

"I'm sure it's an adjustment for them two as well, but I feel like (Bitadze and Carter Jr.) are doing a great job," Wagner said while emphasizing the importance of their communication with Carter playing out of position. "But I feel like Wendell's going a great job of finding his way back into things."

This lineup, born out of necessity, has helped keep the Magic afloat. They know it isn't permanent. The best version of the Magic comes with Banchero on the floor. When he does return, one of the two will be relegated back to the second unit.

But the Magic have won 13 of 19 games without Banchero, and everyone around the team acknowledges what the pairing of Bitadze and Carter Jr. has afforded Orlando. For however much longer it lasts, even with the noted difficulty opponents have scoring and the freedom it creates for the Magic's offense, they still feel they can be even better.

"We always expect the best and not let other teams score at all," Bitadze said. "We would love that – not to let them score. But it's been working well."

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