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After enjoying two days of home cooking following their successful home opener the rested Cavs welcome the 0-4 Orlando Magic to the Q. The Magic are the only Eastern Conference team without a win. Their four losses were by an average of 8.2 points. The Cavs are a +13.0 per game, best in the NBA, after winning their last two games by a combined 42 points.
The Magic do not appear to be a good team but they might be the NBA’s biggest team. Their three starters on the front line are all 6’10” and they bring 7’0” Mo Bamba and 7’2” Bol Bol off the bench.
They are having some injury issues as Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs, their 2nd and 3rd point guards, are out. Gary Harris, their 2nd shooting guard and Jonathan Isaac, their 2nd power forward, are also out. Their bench is really depleted and that will hurt them against a deep team like the Cavs, who got 43 points from their bench against Washington.
Orlando is 26th in points per game. They have a solid set of starting guards. PG Cole Anthony is averaging 17.7 points on 46.5% overall and 40.0% from deep, but with Fultz and Suggs out that leaves R.J. Hampton as the only other point guard on the roster. Hampton is averaging 11 minutes and 2 points per game.
SG Terrence Ross is averaging 15.3 points on 53.5% and 44.0%. Their guards are definitely oriented toward scoring. Between Ross and Anthony they are averaging just 5.0 assists per game.
In fact, their whole team is allergic to passing the ball. They rank last in the NBA in assists per possession. It looks like they just take turns going one-on-one.
First overall draft pick Paolo Banchero leads them in scoring at 22.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. He also has 1.5 blocks per game. He’s only shooting 42.6% overall and 18.8% on 3’s. His matchup with Mobley should be interesting. He’s 6’10”, 250, so he will try to muscle Evan.
Banchero is only the third #1 overall pick in NBA history to score 20 or more points in his first three games. The others were Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes. It’s been a while. (If you guessed Anthony Bennett, uh, no).
Franz Wagner, the other starting forward, is averaging 15.0 points but also has low shooting percentages (41.7 and 23.8). Center Wendall Carter Jr averages 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. The Magic have balanced scoring with five starters in double figures, but as a team they are 25th in points per possession (the Cavs are 5th).
Bol Bol is doing a nice job off the bench, averaging 10.4 points on 65.4% from the field in just 16 minutes. In their last game he had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
Despite having five players 6’10” or over the Magic are just average at scoring in the paint. They’re 26th in 3-point percentage at only 30.8% (the Cavs are first at 44.3%). Being pretty bad at shooting from deep I expect the Magic to try and pound it inside, but with Allen, Mobley, and Lopez the Cavs are pretty well-equipped to handle that. This game could feature a lot of bigs banging in the paint.
They do tend to draw fouls. They’re averaging almost 25 free throw attempts per game. They turn the ball over on offense a little more than average.
Despite all that height the Magic are average in offensive and defensive rebounding and a little above average (12th) in block percentage.
Defensively they rank 19th in opponents’ points per game at 115.5. They’re pretty much average to below average in most of the defensive areas. They don't defend the 3-point shot very well (22nd) so the Cavs should be able to exploit that, especially playing at home with two days rest.
I wouldn’t say the Magic are a bad team - they just don’t do anything especially well. They lost to Detroit by 4 points, Atlanta by 10, Boston by 6 (at home), and the Knicks by 13. Boston was their only home game so far.
They have injury problems at the moment and they are not a good 3-point shooting team. I would not take them too lightly. Terrance Ross had 29 points against Boston and he can get hot.
My favorite line from John Hollinger’s preview is, “Markelle Fultz didn’t take the floor until late in the season, and his 3-point shot continues to be a greater threat to baseline cameramen than opposing defenses.”
He adds, “With all that said, this season is about three players: Wagner, Banchero and whomever the Magic pick in the first round of the loaded 2023 draft. They’re perfectly set up to take some baby steps forward, without going so far as to screw up that 2023 pick.”
As for Franz Wagner, “The 6-9 forward was one of the five best rookies in the league last season, just turned 21 and has All-Star upside. A breakout sophomore year can’t be ruled out, especially after his strong EuroBasket tournament for Germany.”
More Hollinger:
“Those two forwards are a great foundation, but the Magic offense likely won’t turn the corner for real until they identify some guards who can hit 3s coming around screens. Fultz, Suggs and Anthony all have their individual strengths, but getting by with them as a trio is a tough way to live. The dearth of backcourt playmaking makes every half-court possession a taffy pull.”
“The Magic are a high-level playmaking guard or two from being legitimately good. They’re big, they defend, they have potential All-Stars at the three and four, and they carry an impeccably clean cap sheet into the future. Just don’t hold your breath waiting for those results to come in 2022-23.”
Hollinger predicts 21-61.
The Magic do not appear to be a good team but they might be the NBA’s biggest team. Their three starters on the front line are all 6’10” and they bring 7’0” Mo Bamba and 7’2” Bol Bol off the bench.
They are having some injury issues as Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs, their 2nd and 3rd point guards, are out. Gary Harris, their 2nd shooting guard and Jonathan Isaac, their 2nd power forward, are also out. Their bench is really depleted and that will hurt them against a deep team like the Cavs, who got 43 points from their bench against Washington.
Orlando is 26th in points per game. They have a solid set of starting guards. PG Cole Anthony is averaging 17.7 points on 46.5% overall and 40.0% from deep, but with Fultz and Suggs out that leaves R.J. Hampton as the only other point guard on the roster. Hampton is averaging 11 minutes and 2 points per game.
SG Terrence Ross is averaging 15.3 points on 53.5% and 44.0%. Their guards are definitely oriented toward scoring. Between Ross and Anthony they are averaging just 5.0 assists per game.
In fact, their whole team is allergic to passing the ball. They rank last in the NBA in assists per possession. It looks like they just take turns going one-on-one.
First overall draft pick Paolo Banchero leads them in scoring at 22.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. He also has 1.5 blocks per game. He’s only shooting 42.6% overall and 18.8% on 3’s. His matchup with Mobley should be interesting. He’s 6’10”, 250, so he will try to muscle Evan.
Banchero is only the third #1 overall pick in NBA history to score 20 or more points in his first three games. The others were Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes. It’s been a while. (If you guessed Anthony Bennett, uh, no).
Franz Wagner, the other starting forward, is averaging 15.0 points but also has low shooting percentages (41.7 and 23.8). Center Wendall Carter Jr averages 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. The Magic have balanced scoring with five starters in double figures, but as a team they are 25th in points per possession (the Cavs are 5th).
Bol Bol is doing a nice job off the bench, averaging 10.4 points on 65.4% from the field in just 16 minutes. In their last game he had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
Despite having five players 6’10” or over the Magic are just average at scoring in the paint. They’re 26th in 3-point percentage at only 30.8% (the Cavs are first at 44.3%). Being pretty bad at shooting from deep I expect the Magic to try and pound it inside, but with Allen, Mobley, and Lopez the Cavs are pretty well-equipped to handle that. This game could feature a lot of bigs banging in the paint.
They do tend to draw fouls. They’re averaging almost 25 free throw attempts per game. They turn the ball over on offense a little more than average.
Despite all that height the Magic are average in offensive and defensive rebounding and a little above average (12th) in block percentage.
Defensively they rank 19th in opponents’ points per game at 115.5. They’re pretty much average to below average in most of the defensive areas. They don't defend the 3-point shot very well (22nd) so the Cavs should be able to exploit that, especially playing at home with two days rest.
I wouldn’t say the Magic are a bad team - they just don’t do anything especially well. They lost to Detroit by 4 points, Atlanta by 10, Boston by 6 (at home), and the Knicks by 13. Boston was their only home game so far.
They have injury problems at the moment and they are not a good 3-point shooting team. I would not take them too lightly. Terrance Ross had 29 points against Boston and he can get hot.
My favorite line from John Hollinger’s preview is, “Markelle Fultz didn’t take the floor until late in the season, and his 3-point shot continues to be a greater threat to baseline cameramen than opposing defenses.”
He adds, “With all that said, this season is about three players: Wagner, Banchero and whomever the Magic pick in the first round of the loaded 2023 draft. They’re perfectly set up to take some baby steps forward, without going so far as to screw up that 2023 pick.”
As for Franz Wagner, “The 6-9 forward was one of the five best rookies in the league last season, just turned 21 and has All-Star upside. A breakout sophomore year can’t be ruled out, especially after his strong EuroBasket tournament for Germany.”
More Hollinger:
“Those two forwards are a great foundation, but the Magic offense likely won’t turn the corner for real until they identify some guards who can hit 3s coming around screens. Fultz, Suggs and Anthony all have their individual strengths, but getting by with them as a trio is a tough way to live. The dearth of backcourt playmaking makes every half-court possession a taffy pull.”
“The Magic are a high-level playmaking guard or two from being legitimately good. They’re big, they defend, they have potential All-Stars at the three and four, and they carry an impeccably clean cap sheet into the future. Just don’t hold your breath waiting for those results to come in 2022-23.”
Hollinger predicts 21-61.
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