The Orlando Magic are a below.500 team at 28-30, but are in 7th place in the Eastern Conference. While the Magic are a play-in team and are talented, there is a fatal flaw holding them back from being a solidified playoff team.
Orlando is led by its young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Banchero is averaging 23 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. The 22-year-old is shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from three.
Wagner is having a career year, averaging 25.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. The 23-year-old forward is shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 31.2 percent from behind the arc. Wagner’s scoring has been pivotal for the Magic, who have the second-worst offensive rating in the league (107.3).
Without Banchero and Wagner leading the charge offensively, Orlando would have a tough time scoring over 100 points a game. Outside of the star duo, Jalen Suggs is putting together a quality campaign. Suggs is averaging 16.2 points, four rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Although Suggs has been inefficient, shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from deep. Suggs hangs his hat on the defensive end of the floor but has taken a step up offensively this season. Unfortunately, Suggs has been out since late January with a left quad contusion. Getting him back in the lineup will be pivotal to Orlando turning things around.
With that said, here is the Orlando Magic’s fatal flaw that must be fixed after the 2025 NBA All-Star break.
Scoring and three-point shooting
Orlando has managed to stay afloat this season due to their elite defense. However, The Magic’s struggles to score or hit three-point shots will likely be their downfall. In the Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers first-round series in 2024, Orlando took them to seven games behind their defense.
In Game 7, the Magic only scored 94 points as a team and shot 32.3 percent from deep. Although the game slows down in the playoffs, where defensive teams like Orlando can have success, there needs to be at least an average offense as well.
In addition to having the second-worst offensive rating in the league, the Magic also have the least made threes per game (10.9) and the worst three-point percentage (30.5%). The offense falling on the shoulders of Banchero and Wagner is not sustainable.
In the offseason, Orlando tried to improve their three-point shooting by adding a veteran 3-and-D wing in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope was coming off back-to-back seasons with the Denver Nuggets, where he shot over 40 percent from distance and is a career 36.5 percent three-point shooter.
However, in 55 games with the Magic this season, Caldwell-Pope is shooting a career-low 30.7 percent from three. As a team, the Magic’s most efficient three-point shooter has been Mo Wagner at 36 percent. That simply won’t cut it, especially with Wagner out for the season with a torn ACL.
Fixing the scoring and three-point shooting is not something that the Magic can accomplish midseason. Orlando’s front office will have to be aggressive this offseason to add another scorer and more three-point shooting around Banchero and Wagner.
However, the Magic can still improve on the offensive end of the floor during this final stretch of the regular season. Orlando could use more production from Caldwell-Pope, Anthony Black, Cole Anthony, and others down the stretch.
The Magic are only three games behind the Detroit Pistons for the sixth seed in the East. If they can improve their offense and three-point shooting down the stretch, they could avoid the Play-In Tournament.
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