The Orlando Magic had a very positive offseason when it came to the additions they made. They traded for Desmond Bane to address their shooting woes, and added Tyus Jones, and Jase Richardson for more depth in their backcourt.
Along with their star duo of Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner in a weak East, the Magic are expected to be in the mix to make a deep playoff run this season. Through five games though, Orlando has been anything but magical.
The Magic’s offense is still as anemic as last season
Orlando has not finished with an above-average offense in more than a decade. If things keep trending this way, they are set to be below-average once again. The Magic are 1-4 to start the season, and while there have been defensive issues, they are also still not hitting shots.
Orlando is 27th in offensive rating (109.4), 28th in three-point percentage (31.2), last in threes made per game (8.8), and last in attempts (28.8). They are middle of the pack in field-goal percentage (46.7), but that is where the positives start and end for the Magic.
In three of their first five games, Orlando has shot eight-for-25, three-for-24, and nine-for-31 from three. Bane, their prized summer acquisition, is only making 27 percent of his threes, and Banchero is shooting a putrid 16 percent from three in five games.
Only three players are shooting more than three threes a game and making at least 36 percent of them: Jalen Suggs, Tristan da Silva, and Wagner.
It’s not like Orlando isn’t generating good looks. 26 of their 29 three-point attempts per game are classified as open or wide-open. The Magic are hitting only 33 percent of those attempts. They are also only hitting 32 percent of their catch-and-shoot threes.
The Magic have to fix their offense and fast
Orlando signaled that they were ready to contend when they went after Bane, brought in Jones, and drafted Richardson. They have extended Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs. They are locked into this team for the foreseeable future, so they have no choice but to figure it out.
It is only October and we have seen teams get off to slow starts, just for them to turn it around and reach their potential.
The Magic do have time with this core, as none of their main pieces are closer to the age of 30. However, they have to at least show growth offensively to justify the price of this team, and if they have the right pieces to compete for titles.
