![\"Orlando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-05-03T225507Z_325182545_MT1USATODAY28874816_RTRMADP_3_NBA-PLAYOFFS-ORLANDO-MAGIC-AT-DETROIT-PIS.jpeg\"\/)
May 3, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) hugs guard Anthony Black (0) after the game against the Detroit Pistons during game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images <\/p>\n
Jalen Suggs has also been dealing with injuries over the past couple of seasons, as he played in 57 games last year and 35 the year before. You can\u2019t always blame it on injuries, but when three of your four best players seem to never be on the court together, it\u2019s hard to find a rhythm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Magic offseason has been minor moves, like replacing their former head coach, Jamahl Mosley, with Sean Sweeney. They decided to bring back Nikola Vucevic<\/a> on a one-year, $3.8 million deal, as well as re-signing Jonathan Issac and Jevon Carter. These small moves don\u2019t move the needle in contending for a deep playoff run, but a healthy season for their top four guys surely will. This is easier said than done because Orlando can\u2019t let guys sit out during the regular season and rest for the playoffs because they need a higher seed to make their path easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Desmond Bane<\/a> did finish the year strong, he started off the season slow, and many people think it was because of him not yet acclimated to the team. Even after the slow start, Bane finished the season with 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Banchero averaged 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, while Wagner put up 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. The problem was all of them being able to stay on the court together, which matters a lot because they need the reps of players to each other\u2019s strengths come playoff time.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Magic finished with a 45-37 record even with all of the injuries. Luck will need to be on their side when it comes down to staying healthy, but they\u2019ve got the talent and the playoff experience to be a team no one wants to play against. Their projected starting lineup is Suggs, Bane, Wagner, Banchero, and Wendell Carter, which gives them a major size and strength advantage over almost any team in the league. The only thing holding Orlando back is injuries and a revamped Eastern Conference that looks as strong as ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s your take? Post it in our free sports community at\u00a0stadiumrant.app<\/a>, or download\u00a0Stadium Rant<\/a>\u00a0on the App Store.<\/p>\n End Of My Orlando Magic Offseason Rant <\/p>\n Magic fans are done with the developmental phase of this team, and they want to see it turn into success in the playoffs, which they have yet to achieve. Orlando is making the right move by running it back because they\u2019re getting unlucky with injuries. People shouldn\u2019t question why they didn\u2019t make any major moves because they already have a foundation that works; we just need to see a larger sample size of it together. After a full year of building and learning together, they\u2019re ready to take that next step, but will their bodies allow them to do so?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Based on the Orlando Magic offseason, they seemed to be betting on their current core, and that\u2019s not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-366934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Orlando](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-04-25T205258Z_356919669_MT1USATODAY28812113_RTRMADP_3_NBA-PLAYOFFS-DETROIT-PISTONS-AT-ORLANDO-M.jpeg\"\/)
Apr 25, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) reacts after a basket against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images <\/p>\n