Orlando Magic
The 2021-22 Orlando Magic can be defined by being exactly what we thought they would be: a young team that focused on player development, had some moments despite losing a bunch of games, and by landing the number 1 pick in the draft.
What did we learn?
They only won 22 games, but this Magic team definitely had its moments:
More classic Cole Anthony immediate on-court post-game interviews:
“I felt like money, maaaan!”
“Shout out to MO BAMBA!!”
The Mo Bamba 28-point first half. However, he only scored 4 points in the second half as some suggested that first-half Mo Bamba needed to have a chat with second-half Mo Bamba.
Franz Wagner, T-Shirt All-Star and almost Iron Man rookie extraordinaire! Wagner is the real deal and good at pretty much everything. He played in the first 78 games of the season and scored the most total points this year by a rookie, including 38 points against the defending-champion Bucks. At one point, Wagner was leading NBA.com’s Kia Rookie Ladder when Evan Mobley was out. And let’s not forget his crunch-time baseline power dunk on the T-Wolves and his German two-handed hammer in crunch-time at MSG.
Wendell Carter Jr.’s development has Magic fans feeling better about the Vooch trade. They were sad to see Vooch go, but it’s easy to see the vision of rolling the dice on young talent while aligning the timetable of your team and gaining future assets/draft picks in the process. WCJ and Vooch’s stats were very similar this season, and Carter Jr. is nine years younger.
Jalen Suggs started slow out of the gate and had a difficult rookie season for the most part, but he did have that awesome power dunk on DeRozan that left some jaws dropped. And you can always count on him to bring high-energy and hustle. The same always goes for R.J. Hampton. You can’t teach that.
The grand return of Markelle Fultz! Jonathan Isaac did not have the same luck, which is crazy considering that Isaac got injured in August 2020 in the bubble and Fultz got injured in January 2021. With Fultz in the lineup from Feb. 28 to the end of the season, the Magic increased their assists per game to a top-15 mark after having the 7th-fewest over the first four months of the season.
Before Fultz’s return, it was the Big Chum Game against the Rockets where Chuma Okeke dropped a career-high 26 points in 32 minutes off the bench. Big Chum also had 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block. A stat-sheet stuffer!
Where were you the night of Festivus Eve when B.J. Johnson and Admiral Schofield cooked Lance Stephenson’s Hawks?
Add it all up and you get a pretty fun season for a cellar dweller that finished with top odds in the lottery.
It was also evident once again that this group genuinely liked playing together and always had each other’s backs. And they looked up to and listened to rookie head coach Jamahl Mosley, a coach committed to player development and a long-term vision towards the future.
Speaking of the lottery and the future, for the first time since Dwight Howard in 2004, the Magic got the Number 1 pick in the draft!
That alone makes this Magic season a grand success, but having a fun young team that rides together makes it even more intoxicating.
A job well done every which way.
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Additional Notes
This Magic team had some incredible comebacks at the beginning of the season, against the Jazz at home and at MSG on the Knicks.
Robin Lopez’s hook shots were once again a delight. And during the December protocol-laden days, RoLo led the Magic in scoring with 20 points, just the third time in his 14-year career that he was his team’s leading scorer.
The more time spent watching the Magic, the more it’s realized that this team is actually pretty versatile with a lot of ball-handlers that can attack from a lot of directions.
Believe it or not, after the All-Star Break, the Magic had a top-7 defense in the league. An amazing feat after having the 28th defense over the first two months of the season.
The Magic have an A+ broadcast team. David Steele and Jeff Turner are splendid on the call, especially with David’s always enlightening “Is This Anything?” segment. And, of course, the always entertaining “A Moment with Dante” with sideline reporter Dante Marchitelli.
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Did our preseason Over/Under prediction hit?
The Magic should be one of the more fun cellar dwellers. Under 22.5 wins.
Magic 2021-22 record: (22-60)
Yes! This one hit, but it was pretty dang close. And we knew they would be fun!
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What’s Next?
The Number 1 pick in the 2022 draft! Nate Dogg most certainly is hoping it will be Paolo, and we have no qualms against that. But it sounds like the current frontrunner is Chet.
Improve the offense. The Magic were at the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency. Two glaring stats from Bobby Marks:
Out of 132 players who attempted 200 layups or dunks this season, Cole Anthony is one of three who shot below 50% (James Harden and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are the other two).
Out of 206 players who attempted 200-plus jumpers this season, Jalen Suggs ranked last in field goal percentage.
Get Jonathan Isaac on the court. Isaac is the highest-paid player on the team and has missed two straight seasons.
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Favorite Magic Highlight of the 2021-22 Season:
“Shout out to the team, man.
Shout out to R.J.
Shout out to Dell.
Shout out to MO BAMBA!!”
