After tearing down the iteration of the Magic that featured the likes of Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, Orlando is lastly the place it needs to be within the league’s hierarchy, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes. Headlined by Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the Magic made the playoffs because the No. 5 seed. And whereas they didn’t essentially go all on this summer season, they added an NBA champion and prime tier function participant in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Banchero asserted just lately that the Magic belonged in conversations concerning the East’s finest groups. Assuming he, Wagner, Suggs and others proceed to progress in linear vogue, that could be true. As Smith observes, the Magic don’t have a single untradable contract.
On the flip facet of issues, Orlando remains to be very younger and added first-rounder Tristan Da Silva to a deep-bench younger crew that additionally options Anthony Black and Jett Howard. Whereas they aren’t essentially on a two-timeline strategy since their stars are all of their early 20s, the staff continues to have intriguing upside past their largest names.
We’ve got extra from the Southeast Division:
- With the Warmth drafting middle Kel’el Ware, it regarded like Bam Adebayo may make a extra substantial transfer to the ability ahead place. Nonetheless, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Solar Sentinel opines that Adebayo can be content material with any alternative to easily increase his recreation. Adebayo shot 35.7% on 42 three-point makes an attempt final season and will improve that quantity this season.
- In a separate, subscriber-only piece, Winderman ponders whether or not Ware is prepared for or must be deserving of minutes straight away after being the Warmth’s No. 15 general choose. Ware averaged 18.3 factors and eight.4 rebounds in Summer season League, however in the end Miami will determine when he’s prepared for duty on the NBA stage. For my part, the Warmth have finished a wonderful job in assessing which rookies have been able to contribute straight away. For instance, Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez shortly established themselves as rotation items regardless of various ranges of faculty expertise. Then again, the Warmth took a extra affected person strategy to Nikola Jovic‘s insertion into the lineup whereas he fleshed out his defensive recreation.
- The Hornets are hiring Ryan Lambert as their director of novice scouting, based on Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter hyperlink). Lambert was beforehand with the Thunder since 2012, working his means as much as a senior novice analysis scout place final season.
