The Orlando Magic had a pair of lineup shakeups for his or her Thursday preseason matchup on the San Antonio Spurs.
Second-year ahead Franz Wagner was accessible towards the Spurs whereas Terrence Ross moved into the beginning lineup.
Wagner, who was named to the 2021-22 All-Rookie first staff and completed fourth (two third-place votes) in voting for Rookie of the Year that was awarded to Toronto Raptors ahead Scottie Barnes, sat out of the Magic’s preseason-opening loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
He began alongside Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero, within the No. 1 decide in June’s NBA draft, within the frontcourt for the primary time.
“You have guys that can guard multiple positions, but also, you have three young guys who can make great decisions,” coach Jamahl Mosley mentioned after Thursday’s shootaround. “They’re all ball movers. They understand where guys are on the floor and they’re willing passers. That’s such a great combination to put out on the floor for us.”
Wagner, Banchero and Carter have the potential to be the Magic’s long-term beginning frontcourt.
“The sky is the limit,” Carter mentioned of the trio. “Franz is a player who plays the right way. He plays to win. It’s really easy playing with Franz. It’s P’s first year, so he’s going to go through stuff that all rookies go through. But at the same time, he’s a phenomenal player and he also plays to win.”
Ross began instead of Cole Anthony, who was accessible off the bench, alongside Jalen Suggs within the backcourt.
“Terrence has been fantastic,” Mosley mentioned. “For these young guys, he’s been a true pro. He opens the floor up because teams have to honor and respect him. His voice has been great. His actions have followed his voice.”
Markelle Fultz (fractured large left toe), Gary Harris (left knee rehabilitation), Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation), and Admiral Schofield (left knee contusion) stay sidelined.
The Magic are monitoring Wagner’s preseason workload after a month-long summer season run with Germany’s males’s nationwide basketball staff, which included enjoying in friendlies, 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and EuroBasket 2022 — a match Germany received the bronze medal in after defeating Poland on Sept. 18 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin.
Wagner averaged 15.2 factors, 4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26.6 minutes (9 video games) in EuroBasket.
Orlando will play the Mavericks in Dallas on Friday to wrap up the back-to-back.
“We’ll make sure he’s working his way back the right way,” Mosley instructed the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s going to be [about] how his body responds to that first game more than anything.”
The Magic conclude their preseason slate with dwelling video games vs. the Grizzlies (Oct. 11) and Cleveland Cavaliers (Oct. 14).
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or comply with him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com