The Orlando Magic are trying to build off of a breakout 2023-24 season that saw them make a surprise run to the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. However, after falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games, Orlando is looking to improve their roster around young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
On Wednesday, Orlando took a training camp flier on former lottery pick Jarrett Culver, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
“The Orlando Magic have agreed to a deal with Jarrett Culver, agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick told @hoopshype,” Scotto wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Culver, the sixth pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, has averaged 6.5 points in four NBA seasons playing for the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Hawks.”
Culver has struggled to stick on an NBA roster since getting drafted, as his shooting struggles — both from the free throw line and beyond the arc — have made it hard to find a consistent role on the court. Jamahl Mosley and the Magic are hoping that Culver can be a serviceable floor spacer off the bench for them, which would allow his defensive upside to come to the forefront.
Evaluating the Magic's ceiling in 2024-25
While the Magic appeared to be a few steps ahead of schedule in their rebuild last season, they also showed that they can compete with some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference during the regular season and make a push to win a playoff series.
The Orlando front office loaded up this offseason to address the team's biggest weakness: lack of outside shooting. The Magic shelled out the big bucks to sign former Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency and drafted Colorado forward Tristan da Silva in the first round.
Both pickups address the need for shooting, but both also fit in with the team's gritty defensive identity. Caldwell-Pope has long been one of the best perimeter stoppers in the NBA, and routinely took on the opposing team's best perimeter scorer in the playoffs when he was in Denver. He gives them another long, rangy guard who can hound ball handlers on the perimeter next to Jalen Suggs.
Da Silva isn't as natural of a defender as he is a scorer, but he's an extremely heady player who uses his 6-foot-8 frame and long wingspan to put himself in the right spots, especially in help defense. Offensively, he's both a great shooter and a great cutter away from the ball, which should open up more space for the stars to operate.
Now that the Magic have solidified the core around Banchero and Wagner, the team's ceiling comes down to how much they have improved. Last season, they were both playing fringe All-Star level basketball which is great for young players, but they need to take the next step for this team to compete. If one of them makes the leap into superstardom, Orlando can be a force to be reckoned with in the East.
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