The Magic Insider

Orlando Magic Staying Busy in the Gym as Offseason Crawls On

While on-court basketball action is in its quietest portion of the annual calendar, numerous Orlando Magic players have been in the gym honing their craft ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Mason Williams

Anthony Black and Cory Joseph in the Magic's practice facility this summer.
Anthony Black and Cory Joseph in the Magic's practice facility this summer. / Orlando Magic/Twitter
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In consideration of all other periods of the NBA offseason, we're at a relative dead point.

It's a little less than seven weeks out from the onset of training camp for all but two of the league's franchises (Boston and Denver report early due to their two preseason games in Abu Dhabi). With the exception of a move that trickles in every so often or a surprise trade, rosters are generally set as to who will be contributors where in the upcoming season. And of course, with Summer League and the Olympics officially behind us, there's no on-court action to consume in the immediate future.

Thursday's NBA schedule release will give us insight into when and where some of the most anticipated matchups of the year are going to take place, but it will be a while before they actually come to fruition.

Thus, that leaves time for the last few weeks of rest, relaxation and individual work that helps the summer months fly by. With regards to the latter, many members of the Orlando Magic have been quite busy while working to improve their game this offseason.

Whether it be in an individual setting, Pro-Am tournament or the private 5-on-5 runs that consume basketball junkies' social media feeds from mid-June to October, the popularization of workout videos in the offseason does two things:

1) Scratch the itch of those who are jonesing for hoop content at all points throughout the year.

2) Show that there is commitment to the craft of becoming a better player based on own individual drive.

With all of that in mind, here's a (likely not completely comprehensive) rundown of Magic players who have been in the gym this offseason.

Paolo Banchero enters the third NBA season of his already impressive career as the known face of the franchise in downtown Orlando. But the Seattle native spends many of his summer months working back home. Recently, he took part in Isaiah Thomas' annual "Zeke-End" basketball tournament in Tacoma, where he put on a show:

He also worked with high-level trainer Chris Brickley, who he's a repeat client of, where he worked on ball-handling and off-dribble shooting from distance:

Cole Anthony told reporters earlier this summer that although he couldn't give away the tricks of the trade, summer had been good to him in the gym.

"I've just been grinding, doing what I can, but also spending time with family and enjoying life," Anthony said.

That's evident in the frequency of times he's publicly seen in a gym, whether it be with his little brother or with aforementioned super trainers like Brickley:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the big fish acquisition for Orlando this offseason, arriving to the Magic on a 3-year, $66 million deal after departing Denver through free agency. The three-and-D veteran figures to slot into Orlando's starting two-guard role alongside Jalen Suggs in the backcourt, where his two previous NBA championships and decade-plus of experience at this level Orlando hopes will pay dividends toward its case as a contender.

Sporting his brand new Magic gear, he linked up with trainer Chris Johnson, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey and other NBA veterans in hotly contested one-on-one drills:

Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac got together for a workout, as did Anthony Black with new veteran point guard pickup Cory Joseph and Jett Howard.

Between his time in Paris and time off following the college basketball season, pre-draft process and Summer League, incoming rookie Tristan da Silva has stayed on it as well:

Again, this is not intended to be taken as these are the only Magic players who are working out this summer. Rather, it's just a peek at the work being done behind the scenes to help elevate Orlando to the next level.

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Mason Williams
MASON WILLIAMS