Magic Starting 5: Orlando Taking UCF Phenom Taylor Hendricks in Mock Draft

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

Jeremy Brener | Mar 30, 2023

Noah Goldberg

In this story:

Orlando Magic

1. MAGIC KEEPING HOMETOWN HERO IN ORLANDO?

"If the Magic believes in either Markelle Fultz or Jalen Suggs as a lead creator and also buys into Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner being able to initiate offense long term, they might actually be able to play four 6-foot-9 or taller guys on the court at once," The Athletic writes.

2. PAOLO BANCHERO: NBA'S BEST ROOKIE & WORST SHOOTER?

"He's 23rd in the league in total two-point attempts from 10-plus feet and 109th (out of 513) in total three-point attempts," Bleacher Report writes. "His percentage is comfortably below average on the deuces, but not cripplingly so. The real issues are the volume of twos and the three-point percentage that's over seven points shy of the league average."

3. MAGIC LOSS VS. GRIZZLIES REFLECTS SEASON ARC

"They hit us in the mouth early," head coach Jamahl Mosley said. "I think that was not being able to step into the game right away, but that's been this group all year. The ability to compete night in and night out no matter what's happening, down 23, not hanging our heads but just continuing to fight."

4. THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAMES

Boston Celtics @ Milwaukee Bucks, 7:30 p.m., TNT

New Orleans Pelicans @ Denver Nuggets, 10 p.m., TNT

5. NEXT MAGIC GAME

The Magic will head back out on the road tomorrow 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 Mar 30, 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.