ORLANDO, FLA- After the first 25 games of the 2022-2023 NBA season were played, the Orlando Magic were 5-20 and the No. 15 seed in the Eastern Conference, and were seemingly tanking for draft prospect phenom Victor Wembanyama. In spite of this, Orlando has quickly become one of the NBA’s hottest teams, winning six straight games to become the No. 13 seed in the Eastern Conference, and are just two games out of the Play-In Tournament. While Orlando’s six-game win streak was impressive in its own right, the Magic managed to secure two consecutive victories over Boston, posted a season-high 135-point outing versus Atlanta, and notched major comebacks against Los Angeles and Toronto.
“They’re believing and they’re understanding that they’re doing it by committee,” Orlando Second Year Head Coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s who this team has to be: Gritty, tough and fighting for one another.”
While dealing with a myriad of injuries in their rotation, Mosley has leaned heavily on 2022 No. 1 pick and rising superstar Paolo Banchero. During Orlando’s six game win streak, Banchero averaged 36.3 MPG, 22.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, and 1.3 SPG while shooting 44.3% from the field, 46.7% from three-point range, and 84.9% from the free-throw line. In addition to this, Banchero has scored 20+ points in all of Orlando’s six straight wins, and has scored 20+ points in 16 of his first 24 games. Similar to Banchero, Mosley has utilized Franz Wagner and Bol Bol often in the frontcourt, which has worked out.
Following an excellent rookie season highlighted by 2021-2022 All-Rookie First Team Honors, Wagner has enjoyed another jump in his production. During the six-game win streak, Wagner averaged 34.7 MPG, 21.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.7 APG while shooting 42.4% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range, and 88.9% from the free-throw line. It’s worth noting that Wagner has played in and started in all of Orlando’s games this season, and has only missed three of his first 110 NBA games.
In addition to Banchero and Wagner, Bol’s impact on the Magic amid his breakout season must be mentioned. In his first full season with Orlando, Bol has displayed his stout two-way play and immense athleticism, averaging 26.4 MPG, 12.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 2.0 BPG while shooting 59.5% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range, all career-highs. Over the Magic’s six straight wins, Bol has posted similar stats of 25.5 MPG, 12.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 1.0 BPG on 56.9/36.4/76.9% shooting splits.
During their six-game win streak, Orlando’s margin of victory was 7.1 points, including double-digit point victories versus Toronto (111-99) and Atlanta (135-124). This can be attributed mainly to Orlando’s offensive play as a team, which is averaging 114.5 PPG and 10.8 ORPG on 46.8/37.7/86.3% shooting splits. For comparison, Orlando averaged just 107.6 PPG, 10.0 ORPG on 46.6/33.6/79.0% shooting splits in their first 25 games of the season.
In reference to this, Orlando made major defensive adjustments, allowing 107.3 PPG to their opponents after giving up 114.2 PPG to their opponents before their record-long win streak. Even with the prolonged absences of Wendell Carter Jr and Jonathan Isaac, the Magic’s defense hasn’t suffered because of Banchero, Wagner, and Bol. According to Sports Reference, Banchero (0.8 DWS), Wagner (0.6 DWS), and Bol (1.1 DWS) have the highest Defensive Win Shares (DWS) on the roster, and rank inside the top six among Magic players for total Steals and Blocks this season.
Of course, Banchero, Wagner, and Bol have not been alone in their efforts of Orlando’s early-season turnaround. First, Journeyman Wing Terrence Ross has provided the Magic with scoring boosts and consistent shooting of the bench, averaging 8.1 PPG on 41.0% shooting from the field and 37.1% shooting from three-point shooting in 28 games. After recovering from respective offseason injuries, Guards Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris have played well in their returns. For reference, Fultz is averaging 26.4 MPG, 10.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.7 APG, and 1.3 SPG in ten games, while Harris is averaging 25.8 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG in six games.
Similar to Fultz and Harris, Former first-round picks Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs have struggled with early-season injuries, but are nearing full recoveries, as shown by their scoring production of 13.1 PPG and 12.4 PPG, respectively. Finally, the emergence of Center Moritz Wagner has added a new component to the Magic’s frontcourt, filling in the void of Carter Jr. and Isaac nicely. In 13 games (nine starts) this season, Wagner is averaging 26.2 MPG, 12.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, and 0.8 BPG on 49.1% shooting from the field, all career-highs.