What Awards Could the Orlando Magic Be Up For This Season?

With training camp a little over two weeks away and the beginning of the NBA season inching ever closer, what are some honors the Orlando Magic could garner when reflecting at the upcoming season's end?

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley talks with Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half of a basket ball game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are up front and vocal about their team-oriented goals for the upcoming NBA season. Out to prove last season was no fluke and that they're here to stay in the East, the Magic have eyes for one of the conference's top seeds yet again this year.

But as is often the case, positive outcomes from a collective unit include great individual performances from its cast. All must contribute to achieve desired results, but some have the potential to go above and beyond.

Last season, Orlando had it's first All-Star selection in three seasons and it's first All-Defensive nod in 12 years. Head coach Jamahl Mosley finished second in NBA Coach of the Year voting, but trailed a long ways behind eventual winner Mark Daigenault in the final vote tally. Had Mosley overcome the gap and won the award, he'd have been the first coach since Doc Rivers in 2000 to be named the league's Coach of the Year while leading Orlando.

But if Orlando is up to the task of replicating or improving upon last season's 47-win campaign, could it include more individual honors along the way?

Let's examine some cases.

Paolo Banchero: All-NBA selection?

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) listens to the national anthem before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Magic at game seven of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Banchero is the unquestioned leader of the Magic's new era of basketball, having been stellar in his first two NBA seasons since arriving as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Viewed by some as a fringe top-25 player heading into the upcoming NBA season, Banchero has already claimed status as one of the league's best power forwards – regardless of age. Because of the depth at other positions around the league and the positionless nature of the All-NBA teams, the hill to climb into a position that theoretically selects the 15 best players in a single season is slightly steeper.

That doesn't mean a jump to such level is entirely out of reason though. The NBA's 65-game rule to be considered for end-of-season awards took multiple names out of the running in the first season of the rule's existence last year, most notably eliminating potential back-to-back MVP Joel Embiid from contention after only appearing in 39 regular season games.

Aside from injury, another progression could be on the cards for Banchero on the court. His inefficiency relative to league average is probably the most glaring aspect of his game seeking improvement, but with two full seasons of NBA action under his belt and an impressive playoff performance in his first postseason visit, Banchero could be on the cusp of his best season yet.

Orlando's vision for Banchero is for him to lead the future of Magic basketball, an era they believe is formulated to keep them in contention on a yearly basis. The trajectory of the former Duke Blue Devil suggests he's far from his ceiling, and should Banchero actualize more of it in 2024-25 and a few more wins for the Magic come from it, he could find himself firmly in All-NBA conversations come the end of the season.

Franz Wagner: First-time All-Star?

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) dunks during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Amway Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

It's pretty harsh to call a season in which a player achieved career-high averages for points, rebounds, assists and steals a game a "down year." While that certainly isn't the case for Wagner's 2023-24 season, it perhaps comes with an asterisk due to his poor percentage of shots made from three-point range.

Dampened by the 28.1 3PT%, Wagner continued to improve as a two-way swingman who could guard multiple positions in a quality fashion. Wagner posted personal-bests in net-rating, assist-to-turnover ratio and usage rate last season, all while posting a +2.3 defensive EPM, which was in the 96th percentile across basketball last season.

Orlando's spacing was some of the worst in basketball last season, meaning Wagner wasn't the only shooter to struggle from beyond the arc. Last season, however, was the first time Wagner truly struggled to make shots from distance throughout his career. The reliance on his defensive capabilites combined with his playmaking responsibilities as a point forward could have contributed to Wagner expending energy in other aspects of his game, thus translating to a down year from distance.

It seems more likely than not that Wagner would have a bounce-back season regarding his distance shooting and prove last season to be an anomaly. The situation around Wagner has improved, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope arriving as both an elite perimeter defender and floor-spacer that should alleviate some stress off of Orlando's first unit. Jalen Suggs also figures to take more of a primary point guard's role without Markelle Fultz to defer to, taking the ball out of Wagner's hands more often and allowing him to hunt open looks off-ball.

Wagner would surely trade a higher usage rate for an increase in points per game and shooting percentage. As is the case with many of these honors, team success would likely heavily factor into how Wagner's impact on winning is measured. But come All-Star selection time, if Wagner looks liks his old self from three while maintaining all the best parts of his game otherwise, it wouldn't come as a surprise to hear Wagner's name pop up in those types of conversations.

Jamahl Mosley: Orlando's first Coach of the Year in a quarter-century?

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley reacts to game action against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

As mentioned earlier, Doc Rivers is the last (and only) Magic coach to earn the honor of Coach of the Year, leading the 1999-2000 Orlando team to a 41-41 record. It was a season well above expectations for the Magic, which netted Rivers the award in his first season as an NBA head coach.

The nature of the award now, however, is much different than it was almost a quarter-century ago. Rivers is the last Coach of the Year to not lead his team to the playoffs in the year said coach is being recognized for, and that trend figures to continue this upcoming season.

Mosley was the runner-up for the award this past season, being recognized by voters as one of the main drivers behind Orlando's playoff berth – the first of the new core's time together. Ultimately, voters heavily favored Daigenault for Oklahoma City's consistency, steadily building upon years of growth to burst into the West's top spot come playoff time.

Is Mosley on the same trajectory? Orlando has seen improvements of 12 and 13 wins between seasons one and two, then seasons two and three of his tenure – the first head coaching job Mosley has held. The chatter surrounding the Magic this season is they'll be on track to be in the mix among the East's best teams again this season, but could Orlando breaking into the top-four of the conference or surpassing a number like 50 wins be enough to earn the top spot?

Since being given for the first time in 1963, the award has never had a repeat winner. Chris Finch of Minnesota tallied the third most points in 2023-24, and could be one of Mosley's top competitors for the honor, as well as Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and Ime Udoka of Houston.

It may take a mighty effort from the Magic to secure the award for Mosley, but regardless, he's already firmly in the mix right now. Barring a backslide, that likely will be one of the headlines to follow all season long.

Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Magic infiltrate All-Defense Teams?

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the second half in game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

As mentioned above, Suggs broke through as the Magic's first All-Defensive team member in over a decade, ending a drought of representation dating back to 2012 when Dwight Howard was Orlando's fierce interior anchor.

With the acquisition of Caldwell-Pope to now slide next to him in the Magic's starting backcourt, Orlando is a strong contender to boast the NBA's best defensive backcourt this upcoming season.

While Caldwell-Pope himself has never finished on an All-NBA defensive team, he's widely regarded as one of the most impactful perimeter point-of-attack defenders in the NBA. Now, alongside Suggs, the two pose the threat to suffocate opponents long before they approach the rim.

The top 10 guards in Matchup Difficulty

1. Alex Caruso
2. Vince Williams Jr.
3. Andrew Nembhard
4. Malik Beasley
5. Jalen Suggs
6. KCP
7. Jrue Holiday
8. Kris Dunn
9. Dyson Daniels
10. Terance Mann

-1000 minute min
-These players guard the best offensive players

— BBall Index (@The_BBall_Index) September 12, 2024

The Magic were the NBA's second-best defense in the NBA a season ago. Figuring to once again be a defense-oriented team first this year, placing two defenders on a list that honors the league's 10 best isn't out of the realm of possibility.

Boston did it this past season with Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, then Milwaukee the two seasons before that with Holiday and Brook Lopez one year, then Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo the other.

The Magic have plenty of valuable defenders who have All-Defense team capabilities at their absolute peak, but such an award is at the intersection of the right fit, impact and time on the floor. Jonathan Isaac didn't meet the games requirement and doesn't play as many minutes as those who are up for the awards generally, but he's still one of the NBA's most elite defensive weapons.

Suugs and Caldwell-Pope's combination of pure defensive talent and impact, plus share of time spent on the floor, could find them as some of the NBA's best candidates for the teams this season.

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