Five Questions Ahead of Wizards vs. Magic

The Washington Wizards are about to face the Orlando Magic.

Mar 6, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) shoots the ball as Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

ORLANDO — The Washington Wizards are getting ready to take on the Orlando Magic in hopes of finding their first win in November.

To learn more about the current state of affairs for the Wizards' opponent, we spoke with Orlando Magic On SI beat reporter Mason Williams.

The Magic have struggled without Paolo Banchero in the lineup. What has Banchero’s absence exposed?

I’m not sure if it’s necessarily exposed anything about how they operate schematically. Much of the Magic’s process is still the same, just the personnel executing it is different. Orlando, both in the past and so far this season, is a defensive-minded team that makes its hay by driving the basket and scoring at the rim. They generate open looks from distance but haven’t hit at a league-average rate in his absence, but those same looks were coming when Banchero was in the lineup. It’s all such small sample sizes thus far, but some of their struggles can be purely attributed to their inability to hit shots.

That said, I do believe it’s exposing to the NBA landscape just how valuable Banchero is to this Magic team. This is the first time since he’s entered the fold in Orlando that they know they’ll be without him for an extended period, and in the immediate aftermath, their psyche was thrown off. Adjusting to life without any star is tough, but this is truly the first time this Magic core has had to do so. They’re learning on the fly, and they hit a rough portion of the schedule at the same time. I think it’s exposing the amount of gameplanning other teams have to do when Banchero is in the lineup, as well as how adept he is to dealing with the extra attention. The rest falls into place.

What’s one thing people should know about the Magic that can’t be found in a box score?

This Magic team is so good at moving off-ball. Teams will throw zone at Orlando from time to time because of their shooting woes to keep them out of the paint, hoping they’ll have to shoot over it. But going back to the Magic’s process of how they earn their looks, that doesn’t just refer to the shots they take from distance. Partially because the playmaking is done by committee rather than in the hands of one or two trusted guards, Orlando has to be active in the halfcourt with their movement away from the ball. They’ll generate a lot of action with ball screens and DHOs, but when this offense is humming, the ball is finding dashing cutters with momentum downhill.

In the same vein, the Magic can get stagnant periodically. When that happens, they settle for jumpers and don’t pressure the defense enough. Especially because they’re again one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA through 10 games, Orlando’s margin for giving up possessions is so small now – even more so without Banchero on the floor. They have to move in the halfcourt to be successful.

Who is the X-Factor for the Magic?

Any other answer than Franz Wagner right now is a wrong one. He’s taken over the No. 1 option role with Banchero sidelined, with his usage, number of drives, shot attempts, scoring, passing, rebounding – everything, essentially – seeing a much higher volume than before. His maturation in quick order will likely play the biggest factor in determining how successful the Magic’s efforts to stay afloat are until Banchero returns. But even as Anthony Black said Friday night, he’s pretty clearly their guy right now. They need him nightly.

If the Magic win, what would be the reason?

They get out in transition and run. For as much is made about their offensive shortcomings, this is still a team identifiable by its defense first. And right now, their best attack is in the counterattack – runouts after misses, live-ball turnovers, etc. Pace is up around the league this season, and the Magic don’t want to get left in the dust this year. That said, they don’t have the flamethrowing capability of Boston or Cleveland to confidently fire away 50 threes a night and feel strongly about it – at least, not yet. Not saying it can’t happen, but it would be out of the realm of normalcy considering how this season has gone so far.

Orlando is at its best when its forcing teams into mistakes with suffocating defense and a blistering counterattack. They have to pounce and do so fast, because they struggle to come from behind and stay there so far.

What’s your prediction for the game?

Orlando has been a completely different team at home this season than on the road, winning by double-digits in all three of their games at the Kia Center in 2024-25. I think they’ll keep that mark intact and continue trying to wash away the poor taste an 0-5 road trip left them with. This portion of the schedule features multiple teams under .500, and while that’s also where the Magic reside, they certainly feel a sense of urgency to not stay there.

I’ll take the Magic by 11 Sunday evening.

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