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<\/p>\nThe 2025-26 NBA season is here! We’re rolling out our previews \u2014 examining the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and win projections for all 30 franchises \u2014 from the still-rebuilding teams to the true title contenders.<\/p>\n
2024-25 finish<\/p>\n
Record: 41-41 (sixth in the East, lost to the Celtics in the first round)<\/p>\n
Offseason moves<\/p>\n
Additions: Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, Jase Richardson, Noah Penda, Orlando Robinson, Jamal Cain<\/p>\n
Subtractions: Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph, Gary Harris, Caleb Houstan<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paolo Banchero played only 46 games last season. (Stefan Milic\/Yahoo Sports Illustration)<\/p>\n
The Big Question: Can the Magic construct a championship-caliber offense?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve written about this a few times over the years, and chances are you\u2019ve heard it on an NBA podcast or broadcast or two: Orlando has not finished in the top half of the league in offensive efficiency<\/a> since Dwight Howard left the Magic to join the Lakers.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n That happened in 2012<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kevin Durant has won four<\/a> Olympic<\/a> gold<\/a> medals<\/a> since the last time the Magic finished better than 15th in points scored per possession. If I\u2019m counting right, 50 Marvel movies<\/a> have come and gone from theaters since the last time an Orlando team was mediocre at putting the ball in the basket. There are Central Floridian teenagers who have never seen an average NBA offense up close and personal \u2026 unless the visiting team brings one to town.<\/p>\n [High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. Create or join a league<\/a>]<\/p>\n If you\u2019re thinking, \u201cSeems like it\u2019d be pretty hard to win very much if you\u2019ve had a bad offense for almost 15 years,\u201d well, that\u2019s because it is: The Magic have made the playoffs just four times in the last 13 seasons<\/a>, and none of those four playoff runs advanced beyond the opening round.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n After consecutive postseason appearances in which they produced<\/a> points<\/a> at a rate that would\u2019ve finished dead<\/a> last<\/a> in the NBA during the regular season \u2014 and last year fielding what was, according to the great John Schuhmann<\/a>, \u201cthe worst offensive team \u2026 to make the playoffs in the 29 seasons for which we have play-by-play data\u201d \u2014 president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and Co. decided that the time had come to throw caution to the wind. The goal was lofty: Find the perfect complementary piece to build an offense capable of complementing the elite defense that head coach Jamahl Mosley has built in Orlando. The price was even loftier: four unprotected first-round picks<\/a>.<\/p>\n In comes Desmond Bane, a career 41% 3-point shooter who\u2019s 22nd in the NBA in total made triples over the last four seasons<\/a>, to provide a desperately needed decongestant for an attack that finished dead last in 3-pointers per game<\/a> and team 3-point accuracy<\/a>, and 27th in half-court scoring efficiency<\/a>. Bane has grown significantly over the years as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, complementary playmaker and north-south driver, too, making him a seemingly perfect fit next to max-salaried cornerstones Paolo Banchero<\/a> and Franz Wagner<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bane\u2019s shooting should help widen the driving lanes for the bruising big wings\u2019 forays to the basket. His off-ball movement should help inject some dynamism<\/a> into a Magic attack that ranked in the middle of the pack in average distance traveled per game on offense<\/a> last season, and 25th in average speed traveled<\/a>, according to Second Spectrum. His ability to make something happen with the ball in his hands should reduce their overall shot-creation burden, and the possibilities of him partnering with them in screening actions \u2014 including as a screen-setter himself in inverted actions \u2014 should open up more opportunities for Orlando to put defenses in a bind.<\/p>\n Add in fellow former Grizzly Tyus Jones, who\u2019s shot 39.8% from 3-point range over the last four seasons<\/a> \u2014 and who perpetually ranks at or near the top of the assist-to-turnover ratio leaderboard, which ought to help Orlando\u2019s bottom-third-of-the-league turnover rate<\/a> \u2014 and first-round pick Jase Richardson, who shot 41.2% from the college 3-point line in his lone year at Michigan State (and who\u2019s shown some exciting flashes in preseason<\/a>), and Orlando might actually have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with expected beasts of the East like the Cavaliers and Knicks. Provided, of course, the Magic can keep their big guns on the court.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Only three playoff teams (Oklahoma City, Memphis and the Lakers) lost more games due to injury last season than the Magic, according to Spotrac<\/a>. Banchero<\/a> and Wagner<\/a> were both sidelined by torn oblique muscles, while All-Defensive teamer\/attitudinal talisman Jalen Suggs was limited to just 35 games by a left knee injury that required season-ending surgery; all told, Orlando\u2019s top three players shared the court for just 97 minutes across just six games last season<\/a>. The hope is that better health for the three franchise pillars \u2014 and continued availability for Bane, who played 69 games last season after missing significant time in each of the previous two seasons in Memphis \u2014 will allow the Magic to have the same kind of year-over-year surge that Cleveland enjoyed last season<\/a>.<\/p>\n [Get more Magic news: Orlando team feed<\/a>]<\/p>\n The fear is that, with Suggs still not back to full-contact 5-on-5 work<\/a> more than seven months after surgery<\/a>, and potentially still \u201cweeks\u201d away<\/a> from getting back in the fold, we might not get to see the full-strength squad that Orlando\u2019s brass had drawn up for a while. (Key reserve Moe Wagner still being a ways off<\/a> from returning after tearing the ACL in his left knee<\/a> last December doesn\u2019t help, either.) That, in turn, could prevent the Magic from developing the sort of chemistry and cohesion critical in creating a potent offense, and impede their expected progress up the Eastern standings.<\/p>\n If Banchero, Franz and Bane can quickly find some synergy, though, and if Suggs and Moe are able to return and provide both instant production and their customary pugilistic play, the Magic could have the right sort of recipe to become a team that\u2019s more than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we should be a deep playoff team,\u201d Banchero recently told Josh Robbins of The Athletic<\/a>. \u201cHopefully, that means Finals. But if it\u2019s anything shorter than that, then Eastern Conference finals. I want to play deep into the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Sprinkle in increased growth from connective-tissue youngsters like Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva, and efficient interior contributions from big men Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze, and Orlando really might have a chance to damage defenses at a league-average level. Combine that with the kind of defense that\u2019s been Orlando\u2019s calling card under Mosley, and the Magic could be the kind of contender that fans have been waiting a very, very long time to see.<\/p>\n Best-case scenario<\/p>\n All of the aforementioned health questions break Orlando\u2019s way, giving Mosley the time, reps and raw materials with which to build a two-way monster; the Magic finish top five in defensive efficiency and top 10 on the other end, exorcising all the demons of terrible offenses past. Banchero, Wagner and Bane all make the All-Star team; Paolo (who takes a leap in his scoring efficiency and inside-out passing) and Franz (who finally irons out the kink in that jumper) make All-NBA; Mosley wins Coach of the Year. Orlando blows past 55 wins, takes the No. 1 seed in the East, and rides a miracle season to the NBA Finals, as Kevin Pelton\u2019s Simulation No. 620<\/a> becomes blissful reality.<\/p>\n If everything falls apart<\/p>\n Suggs\u2019 knee is never right and, as a result, neither are the Magic. Banchero, Bane and Wagner all put up good numbers, but without Suggs\u2019 combination of elite point-of-attack defense, secondary playmaking and knockdown spot-up shooting, Mosley can\u2019t quite find the right combinations to be able to field consistently potent two-way lineups without exploitable shortcomings on one end or the other. The offense improves a little, but the defense slips more, and Orlando again finds itself futzing around .500, unable to break through in a conference that once seemed ripe for the taking \u2014 and wondering if it\u2019s gone all-in with a hand that ultimately might not be good enough to drag the pot.<\/p>\n 2025-26 schedule<\/p>\n Season opener: Oct. 22 vs. Miami<\/p>\n Orlando has won 52 or more games just four times in franchise history, all led by a transformational Hall of Fame center. There\u2019s no Shaq or Dwight here \u2026 but if the injury bug doesn\u2019t bite, there\u2019s enough talent here to be able to approach a mid-50s win total.<\/p>\n More season previews<\/p>\n East: Atlanta Hawks<\/a> \u2022 Boston Celtics<\/a> \u2022 Brooklyn Nets<\/a> \u2022 Charlotte Hornets<\/a> \u2022 Chicago Bulls<\/a> \u2022 Cleveland Cavaliers \u2022 Detroit Pistons<\/a> \u2022 Indiana Pacers<\/a> \u2022 Miami Heat<\/a> \u2022 Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> \u2022 New York Knicks \u2022 Orlando Magic<\/a> \u2022 Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> \u2022 Toronto Raptors<\/a> \u2022 Washington Wizards<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n West: Dallas Mavericks<\/a> \u2022 Denver Nuggets \u2022 Golden State Warriors<\/a> \u2022 Houston Rockets<\/a> \u2022 LA Clippers<\/a> \u2022 Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> \u2022 Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> \u2022 Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> \u2022 New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> \u2022 Oklahoma City Thunder \u2022 Phoenix Suns<\/a> \u2022 Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> \u2022 Sacramento Kings<\/a> \u2022 San Antonio Spurs<\/a> \u2022 Utah Jazz<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025-26 NBA season is here! We’re rolling out our previews \u2014 examining the biggest questions, best- and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[5815,5831,5832,5842,5820,5817,5825,5826,5829,5811,5807,5828,5839,5798,5834,5805,5819,5810,5833,5823,5838,5830,5803,5801,5846,5802,5808,5809,5824,5849,5818,5804,5844,5821,123,2490,5845,5840,5806,5841,5812,5816,5822,139,141,1239,140,5796,5799,5847,5837,5827,5843,5836,5797,5835,5814,5800,5850,5848,5813],"class_list":["post-5293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-anthony-black","tag-atlanta-hawks","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-caleb","tag-cavaliers","tag-celtics","tag-charlotte-hornets","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-cleveland","tag-cole-anthony","tag-cory-joseph","tag-dallas-mavericks","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-desmond-bane","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-dwight-howard","tag-franz-wagner","tag-gary-harris","tag-goga-bitadze","tag-golden-state-warriors","tag-houston-rockets","tag-indiana-pacers","tag-jalen-suggs","tag-jamahl-mosley","tag-jamal","tag-jase-richardson","tag-kentavious-caldwell-pope","tag-kevin-durant","tag-knicks","tag-la-clippers","tag-lakers","tag-magic","tag-memphis","tag-memphis-grizzlies","tag-miami","tag-miami-heat","tag-milwaukee-bucks","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-moe-wagner","tag-new-orleans-pelicans","tag-noah-penda","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-magic","tag-orlando-news","tag-orlando-robinson","tag-paolo-banchero","tag-philadelphia-76ers","tag-phoenix-suns","tag-portland-trail-blazers","tag-sacramento-kings","tag-san-antonio-spurs","tag-the-magic","tag-toronto-raptors","tag-tristan-da-silva","tag-tyus-jones","tag-utah-jazz","tag-washington-wizards","tag-wendell-carter-jr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293","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=5293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"(Mallory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/7e0b5620-a92d-11f0-8ffe-af4c7dd46661.jpeg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n