The Orlando Magic had another rough outing against the Chicago Bulls, coming up short on the second night of a back-to-back. They turned the ball over 20 times and shot 12% from three, both of which are recipes for disaster. The offense looked like last year’s offense, slow-paced, and looking like they are stuck in the mud. With high expectations coming into the season and the amount of success they had in the preseason, this 1-2 start isn’t what many people expected from this team. Let’s take a look at how some of the Magic players graded in last night’s loss. 

Paolo came into the game wanting to make up for his lackluster performance against the Atlanta Hawks, where he only scored 11 points. He was able to secure his second 20-point double-double in the first 3 games of the season, showcasing his prowess on the defensive glass. Although he was able to score 24 points last night, it did not come pretty, shooting the rock at 33%, being just 1-4 from three. The standout part of his scoring was his free-throw attempts, where he was able to get to the line 11 times, knocking down 9 of them. While not being a bad performance by any means, he should look to improve his efficiency as the season goes on. 

When the Orlando Magic signed Desmond Bane, the two main things they wanted were to be able to add three-point shooting and keep their playmaking at a high level without Jalen Suggs. Last night, Bane struggled to do either of those things, having only 3 assists and going 0-2 from three.  While the 3 assists could be a product of the team shooting badly as a whole, the Magic need him to shoot the 3 more than twice for this team to be successful. 

Franz had an average night offensively, but one trend that’s continued on is his second-half struggles. Only 2 made shots in the second half of last night’s game, and in the game vs the Hawks, he only made 3 shots in that span. This team needs more down the stretch from Franz, and if they want to make a deep playoff run, the Magic will want to see that capability sooner rather than later. 

Tyus had had a rough start to the season, averaging 1.3 points per game on an abysmal 15% shooting and having yet to hit a 3-point shot this year. Tonight was no better going 0-5 from the field, going scoreless. Tyus was brought in for supplemental shooting, and his ability to pass the ball with a low turnover percentage is a skill set the Magic have yet to see this season. 

Jase got his first minutes of the season, and although he only played 8 minutes, his energy was felt. If Jase can bring a spark in low minutes, look for Mose to put him in as a spark plug after the rough start to the year. 

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