Every season, HoopsHype releases rankings of the top 30 players at each position in the NBA. On Saturday, all of the rankings were released, which means we can check out where the Orlando Magic players stand in the rankings.
Without further ado:
PG: Jalen Suggs, No. 25
2023-24 (75 games): 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals per game. 47.1% FG, 39.7% 3PT.
Jalen Suggs is still waiting on a new contract extension heading into September, but his breakout season a year ago puts him in the top 30 for the first time before this year.
Selected in the top five of the 2021 draft that also yielded Franz Wagner (more on him later) for the Magic, Suggs figures to be a key contributor moving forward as a solid third option for the young core hoping to build on last year’s foundation and make the playoffs a regular occurrence for Orlando.
The players immediately surrounding him:
No. 23: D’Angelo Russell
No. 24: Immanuel Quickley
No. 25: Jalen Suggs
#26: Marcus Smart
#27 Mike Conley
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, No. 22
2023-24 (76 games): 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals per game. 46.0 FG%, 40.6 3PT%.
Arriving this summer as a free agent from Denver, the Magic’s new man, who is signing for three years and costs $66 million, is already considered one of the best transfers of the summer. Just ask Wendell Carter Jr.
That’s because the NBA’s second-best defense struggled to score the ball last year, and the addition of KCP should help Orlando’s efforts to put the ball in the basket while maintaining such a solid defensive identity. Caldwell-Pope was the right combination of veteran experience, floor spacing, and perimeter defensive prowess that Orlando was looking for, and is an upgrade over Gary Harris as the starter.
The players immediately surrounding him:
#20: Klay Thompson
#21: Jordan Clarkson
No. 22: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
#23: Jordan Poole
#24: Jaden Ivey
SF: Franz Wagner, No. 10
2023-24 (72 games): 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocks per game. 48.2 FG%, 28.1 3PT%.
Wagner is the Magic’s solid No. 2 option alongside Paolo Banchero (who we’ll talk about in a moment), but the question about his game is clear: Can he figure out his three-point shot?
Last year, he posted a dismal 28.2 percent three-point shooting percentage, a steep decline from his first two seasons, and led some to wonder whether he’ll be worth the five-year rookie deal the Magic gave him this offseason. But as a two-way rising star with plenty of size, he’s exactly what Orlando wants from its top players — even with his mediocre three-point accuracy, though they’d certainly appreciate an improvement and a return to form in that area.
The Magic believe in the trajectory of their young core, and Wagner is arguably one of the key members. So the contract is a vote of confidence that Wagner’s best is yet to come. Still, what he’s shown so far has him in the top 10 of this year’s rankings.
The five players immediately around him:
#8: Demar DeRozan
#9: Brandon Ingram
No. 10: Franz Wagner
#11: Mikal Bridges
#12: OG Anunoby
PF: Paolo Banchero, No. 3
2023-24 (80 games): 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks per game. 45.5 FG%, 33.9 3PT%.
The Magic’s first-round pick in 2022 came in with high expectations as the face of the Orlando franchise moving forward. Since then, he’s only delivered as he enters his third season in the NBA.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound all-around wing is one of the game’s brightest young stars. He shined in his playoff debut last year and is poised to become a budding superstar and All-NBA prospect in Year 3. He does it all: He scores, he makes plays, he defends and he’s available almost every night.
His positioning this high in the rankings has the potential to be even higher as he accelerates toward his ceiling. A big season for Orlando as a whole certainly starts with another fantastic year from Banchero.
The five players immediately around him:
No. 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo
No. 2 Zion Williamson
No. 3: Paolo Banchero
No. 4: Pascal Siakam
No. 5: Karl-Anthony Towns
C: Wendell Carter Jr., No. 29
2023-24 (55 games): 11.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks per game. 52.5 FG%, 37.4 3PT%.
Carter Jr. enters the 2024-25 season outside the top 30, a season in which he hopes to be his most productive — and healthiest — yet.
He’s entering his seventh season at just 25 years old. He’s a solid center with experience and a good offensive game, but there’s some question as to whether he has more work to do or if his best game has already been revealed. Alongside Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner, the former Duke Blue Devil is entering his fourth full season with the Magic as a starter and key member of Orlando’s frontcourt rotation.
The five players immediately around him:
No. 26: Ivica Zubac
#27: Jalen Duren
#28: Al Horford
No. 29: Wendell Carter Jr.
No. 30: Steven Adams
