Author of a failed start (5-20), before finishing better (29-28), then obtaining his best record (34-48) in four years, the Magic will be one of the young teams whose progress will be closely monitored in 2023/24. And to continue its momentum, the Florida franchise will rely in particular on Paolo Banchero And Franz Wagner.
Players aged 20 and 22 respectively and coming off a busy summer to say the least, when they both played in the world Cup in Asia with UNITED STATES and theGermany. One (Wagner) experiencing, upon arrival, more success than the other (Banchero) on a collective level.
However, this international experience will undoubtedly benefit everyone but also Orlando. Asked about this, the coach Jamahl Mosley could not hide his enthusiasm when talking about, for Hoopshypethe performances of his little protégés during the summer.
“ He is capable of achieving so many things… », he judges, about Paolo Banchero (9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds). “ At the start of last season, he sometimes played ball in hand with Franz [Wagner] when our leaders/backs were injured. There, I observed his defense, his ability to switch on pick-and-roll and stay in coverage. [Les États-Unis] made him play position 5 but also position 4 and I found it great that he could extend his game in real time. I think it will benefit him on the pitch. More importantly, there is his leadership, his expression. I saw him during training in Las Vegas and saw the way he carried himself and sounded during the exercises. This is a level of leadership that is required of him, he recognizes it and feels it. It was a great experience for him to be able to be among this group of players and coaches. »
“ People were able to get a glimpse of what we’ve known for a while », he then declares, concerning Franz Wagner (16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists). “ Since we drafted him, we’ve talked about his high basketball IQ, work ethic and attention to the game and details. He’s got it all in him and I often joke about it, saying he’s a 40-year-old adult in the body of a 22-year-old. He sees the game differently and he cares about all the little things, about people. »
The new strong men of the Magic
Clearly under the spell of Franz Wagner, Jamahl Mosley particularly liked what the German winger showed in the defensive sector, whom he considers to be a mixture of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Khris Middleton.
“ He did an excellent job switching when it was necessary to defend on leaders/backs », Details the Magic coach. “ I think that will be the most important key once he is back with us. Our ability to defend will project us towards what we are capable of accomplishing. I was so happy to see them do this in sequence [Franz Wagner mais aussi Paolo Banchero, ndlr]. »
Endowed with unlimited potential according to his coach, who compares him to LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero has been called upon since his Draft to take charge of Orlando.
For Jamahl Mosley, the mentality of his American home has something to lift the whole team up.
“ He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win », Announces the former assistant of the Nuggets, Cavaliers and Mavericks. “ That’s how he introduced himself as soon as he arrived. His mom and dad have done a great job of shaping him and helping him understand what it means to be a great teammate. He worked on his fundamentals and he believes in victory. […] He just tries to win, even if he has to play position 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1. He wants to win and accomplish great things, both individually and collectively. »
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Party | Pts |
| Paolo Banchero | 72 | 33.7 | 42.7 | 29.8 | 73.8 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 20.0 |
| Franz Wagner | 80 | 32.6 | 48.5 | 36.1 | 84.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 18.6 |
| Wendell Carter, Jr. | 57 | 29.6 | 52.5 | 35.6 | 73.8 | 2.1 | 6.6 | 8.7 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 15.2 |
| Markelle Fultz | 60 | 29.6 | 51.4 | 31.0 | 78.3 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 14.0 |
| Cole Anthony | 60 | 25.9 | 45.4 | 36.4 | 89.4 | 0.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 13.0 |
| Moe Wagner | 57 | 19.5 | 50.0 | 31.3 | 84.1 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 10.5 |
| Jalen Suggs | 53 | 23.5 | 41.9 | 32.7 | 72.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 9.9 |
| Bowl Bowl | 70 | 21.5 | 54.6 | 26.5 | 75.9 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 9.1 |
| Gary Harris | 48 | 24.7 | 45.0 | 43.1 | 90.0 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 8.3 |
| Terrence Ross | 42 | 22.5 | 43.1 | 38.1 | 75.0 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 8.0 |
| Mohamed Bamba | 40 | 17.0 | 49.5 | 39.8 | 68.6 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 7.3 |
| Jay Scrubb | 2 | 15.1 | 71.4 | 100.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.5 |
| Goga Bitadze | 17 | 15.0 | 57.5 | 16.7 | 66.7 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 5.8 |
| Rj Hampton | 26 | 13.9 | 43.9 | 34.0 | 83.8 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 5.7 |
| Jonathan Isaac | 11 | 11.3 | 41.5 | 40.0 | 55.6 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 5.0 |
| Chuma Okeke | 27 | 19.2 | 35.2 | 30.2 | 76.2 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 4.7 |
| Michael Carter-williams | 4 | 11.1 | 42.9 | 33.3 | 57.1 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 4.3 |
| Admiral Schofield | 37 | 12.2 | 45.1 | 32.4 | 91.3 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 4.2 |
| Kevin Harris | 34 | 13.4 | 43.9 | 37.2 | 75.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 4.1 |
| Caleb Houstan | 51 | 15.9 | 36.3 | 33.8 | 83.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 3.8 |
