Although they have a slightly better roster this season, the Orlando Magic are still having recurring issues even against weaker competitions in the East. After a disappointing loss against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday (110-98), they’re now left with with a lingering conundrum: What’s going on in Orlando?
Giddey and Co. Just Gave the Banchero-Wagner Duo Problems
The Magic, with two of the best forwards in the league–Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner–on the court, tried to bully a smaller Coby White-less Bulls team at home. They did start out strong, scoring 30 of their first 36 points in the painted area. However, apart from that, they were terrible on mid-range shots, making only 5 of their 30 attempts throughout the game.
The Bulls quickly capitalized on the Magic’s unfortunate shooting, thanks to a collective effort made by their starters headed by Josh Giddey’s 21 points and 8 rebounds, on top of a talented second unit composed of Patrick Williams, Kevin Huerter, Jalen Smith, and Ayo Dosunmu who combined for 54 points. In fairness, the Bulls have shown improvements since last season and are actually starting out strong for their 2025-2026 campaign and could even shock the league.
Magic Continues to Struggle
Once again, the Magic struggles to find an offensive rhythm. Banchero might have achieved a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double, but he was chucking a lot of shots and only made 33% of his field goals. Banchero’s inconsistency and inefficiency sums up Orlando’s woes in the past two seasons, and even though they were a playoff team at best, they still seem to find it extremely difficult to make buckets.
To add, they only made an abysmal 3-of-24 (12.5%) from three, despite having the newly-acquired Desmond Bane, a career 41% three-point shooter. Their best option in scoring, dominating in the paint, weren’t that useful as their shooting from that area suddenly went cold in the second half, throwing all possibilities of winning out the window. Lastly, their bench were nowhere to be found. Except for Anthony Black, everyone else seemed lost.
If this continues, the Orlando Magic might not even make the Play-In at all, allowing teams like the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, and the Toronto Raptors to push for a postseason run. Banchero and Wagner are two of the best players in the league today, and it would be unfortunate to see them fail in the East.
