The Orlando Magic will be a fun team to watch in the upcoming season. They won the NBA Draft last July alone by selecting Gonzaga standout Jalen Suggs. Suggs joins a roster highlighted by Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz (who’s recovering from an ACL injury), R.J Hampton, Robin Lopez, Jonathan Issac, Terrence Ross and company. To top it off, they’ll be coached by newly hired Jamahl Mosley, who was under Rick Carlisle with the Dallas Mavericks in the past four seasons. 

Suffice it to say that this Magic team will be a completely different one from what we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully for Magic fans, this is the beginning of an era they can look forward to as they anticipate the growth of their young prospects. This season will be a preview of what Magic players can be as they grow under Mosley’s system.

Here are three way too early predictions for the Orlando Magic this season: 

Orlando Magic Predictions 

Jalen Suggs will show why he should have been picked higher

Suggs was expected to go higher than five in this year’s draft but Magic fans will take it either way. Personally, I’m really high on the guard out of Gonzaga because his game will translate really well in the NBA. I could be embarrassingly wrong here in the future but I still stand on the fact that Suggs is a franchise changer—a leader, ball handler and high IQ guard who can definitely impact the game. 

The 20-year-old’s performance in Summer League will back my statement up. I know it’s a random exhibition game in Las Vegas, but Suggs showed his ability to bring down the ball, defend and hustle all over the court. His athleticism will do wonders for his game as he continues to develop. Before hurting his thumb in Vegas, Suggs was averaging 20 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game in two Summer League matches. 

My favorite play he has made so far was this defensive stop on the fastbreak against the Warriors: 

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That may only be one play but it’s already telling of Suggs’ game and how he is as a competitor. In his last year of college, Suggs led the Gonzaga Bulldogs to a 27 game winning streak before losing to the Baylor Bears in the finals. Nevertheless, he capped off his collegiate career in incredible fashion, especially after a game winner versus the UCLA Bruins in the Final Four. 

It’s going to be interesting to see Suggs with the Orlando Magic and under Mosley’s system. Will he be the main ball handler? Will his backcourt partnership with Anthony work? If so, that’s going to be one hell of an exciting backcourt. 

The Magic will end the season with a better record

The Magic suffered a huge blow early last season after losing Fultz to an ACL injury. While it’ll take some time for Fultz to return to form, the Magic can still end their year better than their record last season which was 21-51. The Eastern Conference is arguably more loaded this season, but I predict that the Orlando Magic can still compete against these teams on any given night—thanks to their dawg mentality and just how Mosley is when it comes to game planning. 

Suggs will give his all every game, which is one of the many reasons why I vouch for this pick. Anthony is the same as seen last season while the others will feed off this kind of energy. Some improvements the Magic have to make sure happen is Anthony’s jumper, adjusting to Mosley’s game plan and getting the new guys accustomed to their culture. Hopefully it works out for the Orlando Magic because it’s been a while since we’ve seen them compete at the highest level. 

Losing Otto Porter Jr. will hurt

I really wanted to see Porter Jr. with this roster especially because he’s a solid player. Losing him to the Warriors will hurt the Magic a lot but it’s really hard to blame Porter for taking that route. Porter is a veteran who could be out of place in this rebuilding roster. The 28-year-old was in the final year of his four year $106.6 million contract and averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game with the Magic. 

The former no. 3 pick played just three games with the Magic and never really found his place on the team. Despite his low stats, there’s still a lot of potential to Otto Porter Jr.’s game which could have helped this Orlando Magic roster. The timing for both parties just isn’t right.