Magic Starting 5: Orlando Hopes For Change of Fortune in New Year

The Magic Insider lists five of the biggest NBA storylines in addition to relevant Orlando Magic news and analysis.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 2, 2023

Magic Starting 5: Orlando Hopes For Change of Fortune in New Year /

1. MAGIC DROP FINAL '22 CONTEST VS. WIZARDS

"While the Magic didn't put its best foot forward, tonight was a great opportunity for the young squad to play a considerable amount of minutes. Franz Wagner led the team with 28, but the team also saw some unfamiliar faces receive a ton of playing time. Two-way duo Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield and Caleb Houstan all played 25+ minutes and combined for 23 points off the bench."

2. MO GIVES BACK

"Since his rookie season in Orlando, Bamba has always had a dream of giving back to the nation that had given him so much, while also involving the sport that did much of the same."

3. ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES

"I think we had good energy coming out," rookie Paolo Banchero said. "I feel like we just couldn’t get shots to fall early and then we just had started having to play from behind. That’s pretty hard when you have eight players.

"We had a lot of good looks. They just didn’t fall. I think we’ve just got to roll with the punches sometimes and move on."

4. 'I SUCK RIGHT NOW'

"Sometimes that's what happens," Banchero said. "That's what I've been learning. Sometimes you have early success and you think that's what it's going to be like all the time and then you have games like this where you're just like, "Damn, I suck right now."

5. NEXT MAGIC GAME

The Magic will return to the court Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards at 7:00 p.m. You can watch in-market on Bally Sports Florida or out-of-market on NBA League Pass.

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Published Jan 2, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.