The Star
PG LaMelo Ball goes into the season as the starting PG and there is no question on the direction the team is taking going into the future.
The Young GunGM WillyJakkz: "The unequivocal star of the team is LaMelo Ball. I know it was tough on him the first couple of seasons so we wanted to show him without a doubt he is the primary focal point of the team. The decisions we made in the Draft and the trade clearly showed that and we wanted to show him that we are very much committed to him. Had we gone in a different direction in the Draft at Number One drafting another player that could have brought more dissension to the team and we just could not have that."
SG Anthony Edwards was brought in to be the bucket getter, the slasher, the go to guy in the half court offense when the offense is struggling.
The Post ManGM WillyJakkz: "We had our eye on Ant for a long time and when the opportunity presented itself we knew it'd be tough but we just had to acquire him to be able to head full throttle into the direction we needed to go. Ant is a guy who's still learning the game but he definitely was drafted Number One for a reason and he'll get the opportunity to not have to worry about now being the man although he is fully capable of it. Now he can focus on what he brings to the table as a scorer and defender."
C Mark Williams was selected to be the successor in the post to bring toughness, defense, rebounding, scoring, and a shot blocking presence.
The BridgeGM WillyJakkz: "Once we got our scouts in we knew we had to move forward the way we did. Mark was Drafted Number One for us with a purpose which was to be the player to fit in and mesh with LaMelo. He's the guy who can get going in the paint to take pressure off our perimeter guys and also play off them when they're scoring and just clean up on the offensive glass and be a finisher. Defensively we love what he's showing and as he develops he's got best Center in the League type of talent which is invaluable when you also have a best Point Guard in the League talent in LaMelo."
F Jonathan Kuminga is the "bridge" between the backcourt and the man in the middle. He's the guy who makes it happen on both ends of the floor as a defender, rebounder, and transition player.
The WeaponGM WillyJakkz: "It's no secret Jonathan was on the block as teams were calling to see if they could somehow acquire him and we were very open about it to him and also to said GM's about his value to us. Jonathan is a guy who does a variety of things for us and he's showing his value to us in the preseason so we have reconsidered our stance as he is a very unique player in this League."
PG Ja Morant is slated to come off the bench as the ultimate scoring weapon while obviously having the ability to start and run the team should the occasion ever arise.
The DraftGM WillyJakkz: "We spoke to Ja and made it clear the best way we can use him is as the ultimate weapon off the bench where he'll come in and get buckets while also running the offense and being the leader for the young guys on the team along with the vets as well and he has accepted his role and putting up great numbers for us this preseason."
C Walker Kessler FC Alperen Sengun & PG Killian Hayes were brought in to shore up the bench and also to become prominent players for the team.
The Free AgentsGM WillyJakkz: "Obviously we took Mark Williams Number One. Number 10 and Number 14 is when we took Walker Kessler and Alperen Sengun and all we heard was "you could've got those guys later, you need another type of player, or there's better players" but I'm here looking at what we needed for our roster and I'm seeing a guy with a fantastic post presence defensively who very well could lead the League in Blocks and another guy who is shooting 50+% from behind the 3pt line. And big fella is letting 'em fly I'm not just talking about 1 3pt attempt per game. We then traded into the Second Round at Number 33 to Draft Killian who has very good awareness for the game already. Once these young guys develop they'll do very well and be even more important contributors for us. We are very excited about them and their development."
F Khris Middleton & GF Jae Crowder were the Free Agent signings brought in to get the Magic over the hump and into the Playoffs.
Orlando looks to be a young team on the rise that will finally breakout and have a great season with Playoff potential written all over it.GM WillyJakkz: "We brought in Khris and Jae as shooters and defenders and more importantly their veteran leadership to right the ship and get us over the hump to get not only into a Play In but Playoff appearance and we are confident we can do that."
We look forward to what this season brings, GO MAGIC!!!
2020, 2023, 2027, 2035
