Last season: 34-48, missed playoffs.
Coach: Jamahl Mosley (3rd season, 56-108).
What to expect: The Magic basically brought everybody back this season — eight of their top nine scorers in terms of total points — and most everyone who started a game. A young team took big steps forward last season and now will be asked to do it again. Expect Orlando to play fast, partly because having so much youth (no expected starter is older than 25) allows it and partly because the team has a ton of guards. One very underrated move was bringing in veteran Joe Ingles over the summer, because now the young team has an older guy who’s been there and done that. Ingles is already showing his value on and off the court, directing traffic when he’s playing and essentially serving as a volunteer assistant coach when he’s not in games. The schedule is tough right away, with eight of the first 13 games on the road (two four-game trips in that span) and two matchups against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first six games of the season. It’s going to be difficult to move up in the East race, for certain, but anything less than a play-in appearance for this team will be a disappointment.
Departures: Bol Bol (signed with Phoenix over the summer), Michael Carter-Williams (team option not exercised), assistant coach Nate Tibbetts (just became coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury).
Additions: Joe Ingles (free agent), Anthony Black (draft), Jett Howard (draft).
Player to watch: Paolo Banchero. In fairness, there’s a lot of options here — Franz Wagner had a huge summer with the German national team on its run to the World Cup title — but if the Magic are going to reach the playoffs Banchero will have to be great. The league’s reigning rookie of the year met all expectations and then some last year, plus got high-level experience in the offseason by being part of USA Basketball’s World Cup team. Banchero shot only 29.8% on 3-pointers (take away a 1-for-38 stretch he had from late January to early March, and that number rises to 34%). If he’s better from long range this season, it could go a long way to helping the Magic reach the playoffs.
Season opener: Wednesday at home vs. Houston.
FanDuel Sportsbook NBA title odds: 500-1.
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