Meet the Opponent: Young Wizards Will Require Magic to Stay on Task

In Game 2 of a five-game homestand, the Orlando Magic are favored over a young Washington Wizards team on Sunday night. The Wizards are 2-5, but they run the fast break as well as any team in the NBA.

Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe gives direction during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic look to stay unbeaten at home this season when they welcome the Washington Wizards to the Kia Center on Sunday evening. Tipoff is 6 p.m., an hour earlier than usual.

The Magic come into the contest 3-0 at home but 4-6 overall. Orlando's schedule has been road-heavy, but this homestand – the Wizards matchup is the second of five in this stretch – offers opportunities to get back on track while missing third-year All-Star Paolo Banchero and his leadership on the floor. Franz Wagner, who has stepped into the No. 1 role in Banchero's absence, had 27 points in Orlando's Friday night win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Washington has a 2-5 record, with both of their victories coming against the Atlanta Hawks. They've played only three games in the month of November, losing all three by double digits.

Meet the Wizards

Key Returners [2024-25 stats]

• Jordan Poole: 20.7 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 steals, 45.6 3PT%
• Kyle Kuzma: 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists
• Bilal Coulibaly: 16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists
• Corey Kispert: 10.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists

Key Additions

• Bub Carrington (No. 14 overall draft pick): 10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists
• Alex Sarr (No. 2 overall draft pick): 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 blocks
• Kyshawn George (No. 24 overall draft pick): 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists
• Malcolm Brogdon (from Portland): Yet to play due to injury
• Saddiq Bey (from Detroit): Yet to play due to injury
• Jonas Valanciunas (from New Orleans): 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists

Key Departures

• Deni Avdija (to Portland): 9.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists
• Tyus Jones (to Phoenix): 9.8 points, 6.6 assists

Notable Numbers

• 28th in net rating (28th offense, 28th defense)
• 26th in eFG% (50.2)
• 26th in opp. FTA rate (.309)
• t-1st in fastbreak points/game (20.9)
• 1st in %PTS via fastbreak (18.6)

Injury News

• Saddiq Bey: OUT (left knee ACL surgery)
• Malcolm Brogdon: OUT (right thumb surgery)
• Bub Carrington: Questionable (right wrist contusion)
• Kyle Kuzma: OUT (right groin strain)

About the Wizards

For Washington, this season is as much about the future as anything. The Wizards utilized three first-round picks in this past summer's draft, selecting Sarr second, Carrington 14th and George 24th. Combined with second-year player Bilal Coulibaly, they make up the Wizards' young core that will experience its fair share of pains along the way.

Poole is the high-volume scorer in his second year in the nation's capital, shooting a staggering 45.6 percent on 8.1 attempts beyond the arc a night. He's a bit tough to tame from time to time – as the lead guard, he's posting 4.4 assists and 3.1 turnovers per game, but is also averaging 2.4 steals.

He and Kuzma (out Sunday) make for an intriguing guard-forward pair, but at 25 and 29 years old, how they fit into the Washington timeline with a young core being groomed for a different window is a fair question to raise.

The Wizards have been one of the poorer teams in the NBA this year, but the Magic must not get complacent. They're at home – where they haven't lost this season – but facing a team that has the capability to pounce in specific areas that trouble the Magic.

Such as the fast break, where Magic coach Jamahl Mosley has emphasized the need for his team to get back and defend off of runouts and live-ball turnovers. Washington has been the most potent team in the league when out and running, a characteristic common of young teams but perhaps not to this efficiency and volume.

With that in mind, Orlando's shotmaking still needs improvement to limit the rebounds that Washington can take and run with. The Wizards' 28th-ranked offense and defense could give the Magic an extended leash to take advantage on some plays, but the onus should be placed on Orlando to handle its business as it did two nights ago.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• MAGIC-WIZARDS TV INFO: How to watch the Magic and Wizards do battle on Sunday evening in Orlando. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC-WIZARDS INJURY REPORT: The latest on player health and status heading into Sunday's contest between the Magic and Wizards. CLICK HERE
• FRANZ STEPPING UP IN PAOLO'S ABSENCE: The Magic are adjusting to life without their No. 1 option. In his place, Franz Wagner is stepping up to help fill the void. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC-PELICANS RECAP: Back home on Friday night, Orlando found its footing and ran past visiting New Orleans to snap a five-game losing streak with a 27-point victory. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S NEEDED HOMESTAND: Orlando has a five-game stretch of opportunities to take advantage of at the Kia Center, where they'll need to rectify their shooting woes and change their fortune. CLICK HERE
• MAGIC'S 2024-25 SCHEDULE: See the complete slate for the Orlando Magic in 2024-25 and all the details – dates, locations, TV, tip times, and more – that you need to know. CLICK HERE

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