With the 2022-23 NBA season approaching, the Orlando Sentinel is unveiling a five-part collection of Orlando Magic storylines to regulate heading into coaching camp, which suggestions off Tuesday at their new state-of-the-art AdventHealth Training Center. Part one addressed whether or not the Magic did sufficient to show round their taking pictures woes, half two centered on injury-related questions, and half three touched on the rookies.
Part Four: Lineup Experimentation
For most NBA groups, coaching camp and the preseason are about experimentation and making an attempt new issues out.
Expect that to particularly be the case for the Magic in 2022-23, even as soon as the common season begins.
The Magic had three five-man lineups performed no less than 100 minutes in 2021-22, led by their beginning lineup for a lot of the season that performed 424 minutes: Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter, Jr. and Mo Bamba.
Having three lineups that shared the ground for no less than 100 minutes was normal for many groups final season due to absences associated to accidents and the league’s COVID-19 well being and security protocols.
Player availability was a difficulty all through final season for Orlando, which had essentially the most video games missed (449) due to accidents and the league’s well being and security protocols, based on ManGamesLost.com, an injury analytics website.
Markelle Fultz, who tasks to be one of many Magic’s beginning guards in 2022-23, wasn’t part of any of these aforementioned lineups after lacking most of 2021-22 earlier than getting back from a torn left anterior cruciate ligament in late February.
Jonathan Isaac, who’s missed the final two seasons after tearing his left ACL in August 2020, has solely performed alongside three present Magic gamers: Bamba, Fultz and Terrence Ross.
With the Magic coming into camp more healthy than they’ve been shortly, coach Jamahl Mosley can have extra lineup choices to check out as Orlando enters its second full season since kicking off a rebuild in March 2021 centered round youthful expertise.
The Magic are in player-evaluation mode, with a major a part of these evaluations being not solely how the youthful gamers progress but additionally which lineup combos work finest and which of them don’t.
Part of the Magic’s lineup experimentation may also come from needing to get their finest gamers on the ground on the similar time.
“You forget how big these guys are,” Mosley mentioned on the Magic’s official podcast, Pod Squad. “You look at our line: Bol Bol, Mo Bamba, Wendell, Moe Wagner, Paolo, Franz — Jalen’s big, Markelle’s big. You have size. With these guys being able to have length, strength and physical ability, you have a chance to disrupt a lot of teams in different ways. That’s why putting this puzzle together’s going to be fun. That’s why I’m so excited about camp.”
Orlando performed a number of lineups with two bigs on the ground collectively.
With the addition of Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 decide in June’s NBA draft, to a roster that features Carter, Bamba, Isaac, Bol Bol, Franz Wagner, Moe Wagner and Chuma Okeke, there could also be a must play extra supersized lineups.
There’s an array of prospects, together with two greater forwards, resembling Franz, Banchero or Okeke, sharing the ground with two bigs.
In 2021-22, the Magic tried out a good quantity of three-guard models and even smaller lineups that included Okeke as the middle.
This season, they may lean on greater teams extra.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com