Orlando Magic Players Fighting for Minutes in Training Camp

"It's going to be harder for these guys to get on the court quite honestly, we're not getting anybody minutes," Orlando Magic president Jeff Weltman said.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 4, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is in for one competitive training camp.

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Magic roster is completely healthy and there are many mouths to feed. And because of that, the Magic won't simply give minutes to anyone. The players will have to earn it.

"It's going to be harder for these guys to get on the court quite honestly, we're not getting anybody minutes," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. "And that's a good thing. You know, that means that we're getting better. We're I think, you know, I don't know how great we are. But I do think we have to adapt, we have talent spread out at each position."

The Magic is essentially running it back with the roster it had last season, swapping out Bol Bol for Joe Ingles and adding rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard.

At 36 years old, Ingles will play some but likely won't get significant rotation minutes if the younger players rise to the occasion. But as lottery picks, Black and Howard should challenge some of their teammates for playing time.

Black, a 6-8 point guard, will have to compete alongside Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony for minutes. However, given his size and ability to defend multiple positions, Black could fixture in lineups alongside those point guards as well.

Howard, a 6-7 shooting guard, will likely be in direct competition with Gary Harris, but will be fighting for minutes alongside his Michigan alumni Franz Wagner and Caleb Houstan.

Published Oct 4, 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.