Almost nothing is going according to plan for the Magic this season, The Athletic’s Josh Robbins writes. Orlando’s Thursday loss to the Bulls dropped the Magic to five straight losses and searching for answers.
As recently as last season, it seemed like Orlando was following a trajectory similar to the framework that both the Thunder and Rockets are employing. All three teams added to their cores with the top three picks in the 2022 draft and the tandem of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner led the Magic to the fifth seed in the East, where they were able to push the Cavaliers to seven games. But now, the Thunder are the top team in the West with Houston firmly in the playoff picture. As Robbins writes, a season with promise is in danger of falling apart as the Magic sit in ninth place this season and in the play-in picture.
“*It’s a different year,” Banchero said. “It’s almost the end of this season, so we’re a different team. Teams, I think, are seeing what our weaknesses are and they’re attacking it, and we’ve had trouble adjusting.*”
Injuries and three-point shooting are the biggest culprits of a tougher season, Robbins writes. Defensive ace Jalen Suggs is out for the season while Banchero and Wagner both missed months of time earlier in the season. The trio of players has only appeared in 97 minutes together this season. With Suggs out for the foreseeable future, the Magic will need to figure out how to get into a groove without him. They’re 9-20 this season without the Gonzaga product in the lineup.
Additionally, the Magic have missed the production they receive from Moritz Wagner off the bench. He’s not only their statistically best three-point shooter, but he also gives them optionality at center the team is sorely missing. The Magic rank last in the league in three-point percentage.
“*The message at the end was we’ve got to fight our way out of this funk,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s exactly what it is. It’s a funk, and we’ve got to fight our way out of it.*”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
Rising Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is out for the season due to a torn labrum. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Lauren L. Williams, Johnson said he’s going to be ready for the start of the ’25/26 season. “*When you’re in the league, you’re constantly learning about your body, how things may need to tweak here and there,” Johnson said. “So, I’m still learning things, learning new things. I got a great staff around me who provides great insight on things like that. So I just been trying to take knowledge from a lot of people, other athletes and stuff like that as far as you know, maybe what they do, I mean their preparation. But I’m confident in what I do, and I know I’ll get back to 100%.*”
Hawks guard Vit Krejci, out since Feb. 10 due to a lumbar fracture, was upgraded to questionable for the team’s Saturday game against the Pacers, Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks tweets. Krejci is averaging 6.9 points while shooting 38.4% from three in 39 games (15 starts) this season. On the other hand, impressive trade deadline acquisitions Caris LeVert and Terance Mann are in danger of missing their first game with the Hawks this season. Both players are questionable, with LeVert dealing with knee inflammation and Mann suffering from a quad contusion.
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder returned to the bench on Thursday against the Pacers after missing one game due to illness, ESPN reports. Snyder missed that game due to the flu and assistant Igor Kokoskov took his place. “*His level of experience makes you very comfortable in those situations,*” Snyder said of Kokoskov.
Bam Adebayo is working his way up the Heat’s all-time rankings, recently surpassing Rony Seikaly for the most double-doubles in franchise history. Impressively, he’s already fourth in all-time scoring for the Heat and has a shot to claim second as soon as next season. He’s already in second for the Heat’s all-time leading rebounders and, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, isn’t shy to let current leader Udonis Haslem know he’s coming for his record. “*He’s been texting me every spot,” Haslem said. “Every spot he comes up the chain, he texts me.*”