The future is now for the Orlando Magic.
After completely changing the tenor of their first-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers by winning Game 3 in blowout fashion, the young Magic picked up where they left off on Saturday, pulling away with an utterly dominant second half to beat Cleveland 112-89. The series shifts back to Cleveland on Tuesday, beginning a best-of-three that will decide which team's dreams of a deep playoff run live on.
There's no doubt where the momentum in this series lies. The favored Cavaliers flexed their muscle at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, taking a commanding 2-0 lead over Orlando while seemingly excising postseason demons of 2023. The lights weren't too bright for Cleveland anymore, which began the playoffs with the physicality and confidence it so sorely lacked a year ago while getting throttled by the New York Knicks.
What a difference home-court advantage makes. The Magic were by far the more aggressive team at Kia Center, evening the series with a pair of strong double-digit wins that re-cast major doubt on the Cavs' ability to make real noise in the Eastern Conference—both in these playoffs and going forward. Even if Cleveland manages to get by Orlando, Donovan Mitchell's long-term future in wine-and-gold will remain a major question mark barring a shocking upset of the Boston Celtics, the team's likely second-round opponent.
The Magic are a long way from even thinking about that type of organizational crossroads. They're way ahead of schedule as a competitive postseason side, with ample internal development and inevitable external reinforcements to come before contending toward the top of the East. For now, Orlando can simply relish its status as one of the brightest young teams in basketball.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have led the way against the Cavs just like they have during the Magic's meteoric rise over the past two seasons. Orlando's franchise players even made franchise history while leading their team to consecutive wins over Cleveland, becoming the youngest players ever in a Magic uniform to drop playoff games of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, per StatMuse.
Banchero topped that list after exploding for 31 points, 14 boards and five assists in Game 3, his rare blend of size and skill proving too much for Cleveland as he splashed tough jumpers from all over the floor. Wagner joined him on Saturday, picking up a struggling Banchero's slack while slicing and dicing his way to 34 points, 13 rebounds and four assists on just 17 shots.
Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner lead Magic's increasingly bright future
Banchero turns 22 in November while Wagner turns 23 in August. What's already abundantly clear is no team in basketball features a better pairing of young, versatile forwards than the Magic.
Both Banchero and Wagner regularly play three de facto positions, the former sliding all the way down to small-ball center at times and the latter even getting minutes as a 6'10 two-guard. Neither projects as an All-Defense caliber defender, but already showed in 2023-24 they can be cogs of an elite defensive machine.
That tandem versatility has already paid major dividends for Orlando. If the Magic keeping knocking down jumpers at a respectable rate while getting superstar production from Banchero or Wagner, they should be favorites to take down Cleveland in the first round. But it would still be shocking if Jamahl Mosley's team put a major scare in Boston during a potential second-round matchup. Orlando just can't match the Celtics' two-way consistency, and Boston boasts more defenders capable of making life hard on Banchero and Wagner than any team in the league.
The Magic are already playing with house money. Banchero and Wagner are cornerstones, with Jalen Suggs—arguably the NBA's best ‘3-and-D' guard in just his third season—right behind them in the franchise hierarchy. Questions abound beyond that trio, with Orlando clearly needing more perimeter shooting and reliable, dynamic playmaking before challenging for a championship.
Are the Magic really comfortable continuing their climb without a quality starting point guard? What can they get out of seldom-used rookie lottery picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard going forward? Is Wendell Carter Jr. this team's center of the present and future? How does Orlando want to proceed with the non-guaranteed contract of Jonathan Isaac, who's maybe the most disruptive all-around defender in basketball?
These are all questions the Magic need to answer or at least mull this summer. No matter how they're addressed, though, Orlando's current place in the long-term Eastern Conference pecking order is secure. Banchero and Wagner will only get better from here. How high they can take the Magic won't just depend on the height of their peaks, but whether the front office is able to best take advantage of the rare qualities that make Banchero and Wagner so special by surrounding them with an additive, cohesive supporting cast.
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