My Two Cents: Magic Already Proving They Can Win in Many Different Ways

The Orlando Magic are off to a great start, winning their first two games by 15 points or more. They are doing it in many different ways, too, which is exactly what coach Jamahl Mosley wants.

Tom Brew | Oct 26, 2024

Orlando's Franz Wagner (right) led the Magic in scoring on Friday night in their home-opening win against the Brooklyn Nets. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. — You can't win them all if you don't win the first game. Or the second.

But so far, so good for the Orlando Magic. They are 2-0 out of the gate, winning impressively in Miami on Wednesday night, and then whipping the Brooklyn Nets 116-101 on Friday night in the regular-season home opener at the Kia Center. That's back-to-back wins by 15 points or more, something only the Magic, the defending champion Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors have done so far in the first four days of the 2024-25 season.

It's been that impressive.

What has really impressed me the most so far — and I understand full well that this is a very small sample size — is that the Magic can beat you in a lot of ways. They're doing a lot of good things out of the gate, and a lot of those improvements are in real areas of need.

Here are three things that jump out to me:

1. Third quarter adjustments: Two games in a row, the Magic have blown the doors off of their opponents after halftime. They took advantage of an extended break Wednesday night to completely review the first half, and they saw gaps in their game plan. They fixed it — and fast — and outscored the Heat 39-18 to turn a tight game into a rout..

The same thing happened Friday night against the scrappy Nets, who were hanging around for far too long. The Magic made some defensive adjustments and got for more physical and active. It led to eight third-quarter Brooklyn turnovers, and sparked a 13-0 run that turned a two-point deficit into an 11-point lead.

"To put that effort in the second half and pull away in the fashion that we did and turn defense into offense, that's our calling card,'' Banchero said. "That's our identity, and it was fun to see that."

2. Improved three-point shooting: Last year, the Magic struggled from deep, but they've been great so far. They made 18 threes against Miami, and 15 more in the win Friday night. Gary Harris has made eight longballs already, with Franz Wagner adding six and Paolo Banchero five.

This year, they've made 33 three-pointers already, good for a tie for fourth overall. They are shooting 41.8 percent from deep, fifth-best in the NBA. That's a massive improvement from a year ago, when Orlando was near the bottom of the stat sheet in threes taken, and threes made.

“We talk about the process a ton, and our process is to find open threes if they are available,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “But the first thing that we do, which we’ve done very well, is attack the basket.

“When we pick up the pace a little bit differently, we’re able to collapse defenses. We want those guys stepping in and knocking shots down.''

So far they have. And they'll need to keep that up.

3. Paolo Banchero is a complete player: We already know that Banchero is fast becoming one of the best forwards in the game, and he's been terrific so far. He scored 33 points against Miami, and then played a completely different game on Monday — but it was still equally effective.

Brooklyn's game plan was that they were going to force the Magic to beat them with someone other than Banchero. They double teamed him constantly, and he failed to make a basket in the first half. He finished just 4-for-13 shooting and had 15 points, but he had nine assists.

He was a willing passer, too. And that's just fine. He did a great job of finding open shooters. Wagner led the Magic with 29 points, and that's just fine with Banchero. It's all about the wins.

"There is a reason why great players are great," Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said of Banchero. "The reason why he is great is because he's humble, he works, he cares about his teammates and he is not changing who he is regardless of what comes his way in accolades.

"The No. 1 thing he wants to do is win. He's going to find a way to win whether he has to score 33 and grab 11 rebounds or he scores 12 and dishes out 12 assists. He's going to find a way to help this team win. That's what great players do."

The Magic were 29-12 at home last year, sixth-best in the NBA. They want to be even better this year. During that 13-0 run in the third quarter, they fed off the crowd, which was in a frenzy. Homecourt advantage makes a difference, for sure.

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