{"id":404648,"date":"2025-10-07T23:04:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T21:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/nl\/nieuws\/nba-2025-26-orlando-magic-klaar-voor-moment-van-waarheid\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T00:30:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T22:30:23","slug":"nba-2025-26-orlando-magic-klaar-voor-moment-van-waarheid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nbamaniacs.com\/nl\/artikelen\/nba-2025-26-orlando-magic-klaar-voor-moment-van-waarheid\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA 2025-26: Orlando Magic klaar voor moment van waarheid"},"content":{"rendered":"

2025-26 NBA season preview on the Orlando Magic\u2019s exciting year ahead. Stats, last season\u2019s results, a look at their roster, objectives for the new campaign, the key player to watch, and a forecast for the franchise.<\/p>\n

Orlando Magic 2025-26<\/h2>\n
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How They Approach the Season<\/h2>\n

22, 34, 47, 41\u2026 What seemed like a purely upward trend in total wins turned into something straight out of Wikiloc<\/em>. And once again, injuries came to the rescue as the go-to excuse.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tiresome reason but undeniably true. And let no one be misled into thinking that, at times, Jamahl Mosley\u2019s squad looked sharper (and won more) during the stretch when they lost their stars, only to perform worse after those players returned. What really came through is that these Orlando Magic are never short on grit, hard work, or toughness, and they\u2019re trained to overcome almost any obstacle over the six-month regular season.<\/p>\n

That, plus the fact that constantly retooling systems and roles takes a toll on anyone\u2014especially when injuries come for two of your three most pivotal players, each with unique abilities.<\/p>\n

Below is the chart showing how much each Magic player logged last regular season<\/em>, from most to fewest total games played.<\/p>\n

Highlighted in yellow are the presumed starters when the roster is fully healthy.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Rank<\/th>\nPlayer<\/th>\nAge<\/th>\nGames played<\/th>\nStarted<\/th>\nMinutes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/th>\nAnthony Black<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n78<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n24.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/th>\nKentavious Caldwell-Pope<\/mark><\/td>\n31<\/td>\n77<\/td>\n77<\/td>\n29.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/th>\nTristan Da Silva<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n74<\/td>\n38<\/td>\n22.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/th>\nJonathan Isaac<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n71<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n15.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/th>\nGoga Bitadze<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n70<\/td>\n42<\/td>\n20.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/th>\nWendell Carter Jr.<\/mark><\/td>\n25<\/td>\n68<\/td>\n51<\/td>\n25.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/th>\nCole Anthony<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n67<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n18.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/th>\nFranz Wagner<\/mark><\/td>\n23<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n33.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/th>\nJett Howard<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n60<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n11.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/th>\nCaleb Houstan<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n58<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n13.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/th>\nCory Joseph<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n12.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/th>\nGary Harris<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n48<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n14.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/th>\nPaolo Banchero<\/mark><\/td>\n22<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n34.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/strong><\/td>\nJalen Suggs<\/mark><\/td>\n23<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n28.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/strong><\/td>\nTrevelin Queen<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n13.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16<\/strong><\/td>\nMoritz Wagner<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n18.8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

KCP, Goodbye (and Thanks)<\/h3>\n

Between Suggs and Banchero (81 games total), they didn\u2019t even crack a full season, and the Wagner brothers (with Moritz increasingly boosting the second unit) also hit roadblocks. <\/p>\n

Mo and Carter Jr.\u2019s injuries gave us a chance to enjoy Goga Bitadze\u2019s best version. Meanwhile, the only starter who actually stayed healthy only confirmed that his signing was a bust, and moving him immediately was the best choice.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a shame because, on paper, KCP was supposed to fit in as seamlessly here as Desmond Bane will, who we\u2019ll get to next. While on defense he lived up to\u2014and even surpassed\u2014expectations (posting the best defensive win share of his career<\/a>), on offense he was stuck in neutral. He never rediscovered the catch-and-shoot marksmanship he showed in Denver and Washington.<\/p>\n

As a result, with their lone \u201cnatural shooter\u201d failing at his specialty, the numbers were brutal and unavoidable<\/a>: last in the NBA in threes made (11.2), worst in three-point percentage (31.8%).<\/strong><\/p>\n

At that point, the real question isn\u2019t how the Magic dropped from 47 wins to 41, but how they still managed to top 40 victories despite all those injuries and scoring woes that sank them to the fourth-worst offensive rating<\/a> in the league (108.9).<\/p>\n

The answer is clear: they did it with championship-level defense<\/strong>. It was their daily bread, their warm milk before bed, their calling card for the last two seasons. In 2023-24, they built the league\u2019s third-toughest defensive wall (110.8), then ranked second in 24-25 (109.1), just behind the OKC team that currently defends the crown.<\/p>\n

Two Signings\u2014And What a Pair!<\/h3>\n

All those highs and lows led to two offseason additions, one of them a blockbuster move.<\/p>\n

The less flashy but far from trivial pickup is Tyus Jones<\/strong>. Signed for one year at $7 million (a steal), he\u2019ll fill two needs and offset a third: the absence of a reliable backcourt backup\u2014prompted by Cole Anthony\u2019s departure\u2014and the lack of a true distributor, something Orlando has been short on for years (made worse by parting ways with Markelle Fultz). None of the team\u2019s lead combo guards<\/em> (Suggs, Black) truly excels at running the offense.<\/p>\n

The veteran point guard is coming off a modest year in volatile Arizona, but on a stable franchise like the Magic, he should find his footing. He\u2019ll get quality minutes, and his role may expand based on the matchup and game situation, rotating with Black, who\u2019s also expected to step forward (solid on defense, streaky and hesitant on offense).<\/p>\n

Another trait Jones brings, besides reliability as a rotation playmaker<\/em>, is shooting. He hits from beyond the arc (37.8% over a decade in the league). That\u2019s music to Mosley\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n

Which brings us to the other summer signing that truly places all the chips\u2014both for this preview and for the Magic\u2019s hopes\u2014on the table.<\/p>\n

The Icing on the Cake: Desmond Bane<\/h4>\n

Desmond Bane is the kind of player nobody expected to leave Memphis, much less end up in Orlando.<\/p>\n

The price was high<\/strong><\/a> (KCP, Anthony, four first-rounders, and two pick swaps), but it was totally workable for a young core whose oldest player doesn\u2019t even hit 30 (Tyus Jones at 29) and for a project searching for its final twist. The definitive piece to blow up the East and be taken seriously in the playoffs after two straight first-round exits.<\/p>\n

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\u00bfPor qu\u00e9 Desmond Bane es perfecto para Orlando?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n