ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic are ready to tip off a new season and are embracing the work they will have to put in to meet higher expectations for the team this season.
What You Need To Know
The Magic held Media Day on Monday
Both management and players said they are ready to work to meet higher expectations
Orlando plays its first preseason game Oct. 4 and its first regular-season game Oct. 22, both against Miami
Jalen Suggs could be back from his injury early in the season, but Moe Wagner will take a little longer for his rehab, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said
From President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman to coach Jamahl Mosley to all the team’s players at Magic Media Day on Monday, they said they are focused on proving that they can be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and the NBA.
The offseason was a busy one for Weltman, who signed 2022 No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero to a five-year contract extension worth at least $239 million, traded away two of last season’s key players and four first-round picks to acquire guard Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies, added free-agent guard Tyus Jones, made two draft selections, and along with Mosley, brought in two additions to the coaching staff, Joe Prunty and God Shammgod.
“We always bet on the person first, and ultimately, this is on the players and the coaches to kind of, you know, get us through day by day to where we want to be at the end of the season, and you bet on having the right people in the room to start,” Weltman said.
Mosley is happy with the team he will lead into his fifth season as coach.
“What Jeff and his group have done is put a group of young guys together that can grow together and continue to get better together and to learn how to win together,” Mosley said. “And that’s what these guys are ready to do.”
Banchero, who made the All-Star Game in 2024 but missed several weeks last season with an oblique injury, said he was excited about the additions made to the team in the offseason — citing Bane and Jones by name. He made it a point to say he thought rookies Jase Richardson and Noah Penda would help the team, too.
“We are right there, and our chances are as good as anybody’s, and you know, we have a lot to be excited about,” Banchero said. “And so, you know, now it’s getting to be time to put in the work and just start working toward that, and I’m doing what I can every single day to complete those goals.”
He said meeting those expectations comes from within and requires maximum effort.
“Expectations from the outside are one thing, but internally, you should expect a lot out of yourself as a player and as a team,” he said. “Living up to the expectations you set for yourself is most important. And you accomplish that by going out and trying to work your hardest every day.”
Fellow forward Franz Wagner, who also missed part of last season with an oblique injury, was one of the leaders of the German team that won the gold medal at EuroBasket this summer. He said that experience helped him grow so he could help lead the Magic, too.
“At the end of the day, you work all summer — really, all your life — to have the opportunity to be on a team like this, and you know, have those expectations as a group,” Wagner said. “So I think it’s time to embrace that (and) at the same time, also tune it out a little bit. At the end of the day, we got to do the work.”
Weltman has liked what he has seen from the Magic players so far.
“I’ve never been more excited since I’ve been here personally. I feel that we have a team that is capable of accomplishing big things,” Weltman said. “Everyone has come in with the right mindset. Everyone’s together, and the vibe in the building has been really exceptional the last couple weeks.”
He agrees that now is the time to take that next step.
“We’ve got to win,” Weltman said. “We’re paying these guys because we want to win … A lot of our core guys are under contract for many years, and they have the internal drive to win, even if that means sacrifice. They’re going to work. They’re gonna make each other better, but if it means sacrificing, they’ll do whatever it takes to win. And so, honestly, the next step for all these guys, ultimately — we can talk about shooting percentage or this or that — but ultimately, they all know we’re all going to be judged on winning.”
He added, “I’m reminding everybody, this team is still yet to win a playoff series.”
The work to change that begins Tuesday, when the Magic open training camp. Their first preseason game is Oct. 4, and they open the regular season Oct. 22 against the Heat.
The Magic also made some news with updates on the injuries to guard Jalen Suggs and forward/center Moe Wagner. Weltman said the team hopes to have Suggs ready near the start of the season after his surgery to repair a trochlea injury to his left knee last spring.
Weltman has a longer timeline for Moe Wagner to return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He did not specify when Moe Wagner would return.