Quietly winning three consecutive games, winning by 54 points, so easy! The Magic are expected to become the dark horses in the Eastern Conference in the new season

The NBA preseason is in full swing. Many teams are strengthening their lineups during the offseason. Preseason games have proved that every effort is rewarded. The simplest example is the Clippers. They were eliminated by the Nuggets in the first round tiebreaker of last season's playoffs. During the offseason, they added Collins + Luo + Bill + Paul. In two preseason games, Ali and Harden sent 20 assists, and Kawhi Kawhi contributed 35 points in 37 minutes. , Zubac made 12 of 14 in sports games, and the three core players in the starting lineup will all contribute. The key is the arrival of Paul, which solves the problem of offensive sorting of the Clippers' rotating lineup. Collins improves the forward height and space, and Los Angeles' indiscriminate shooting is even more seriously underestimated. As long as they stay healthy, the Clippers are definitely capable of challenging the Thunder. Teams like the Clippers, the Nuggets and Rockets in the West.

In the East, the US media generally believes that with Tatum and Haliburton seriously injured, after the Celtics and Pacers withdraw from the competition, it will become the world of the Cavaliers and Knicks. These two teams are likely to book two tickets to the Eastern Conference Finals. But through the preseason games, we found that every family has its own problems. The Cavaliers have not won a single game in the preseason, and even defeated the Celtics by 31 points in their latest game. The team has a total expenditure of 380 million in the new season. Where are the reinforcements? Although the Knicks added Clarkson, Brogton, Yabusele and other substitutes in the offseason, and they also reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, no one doubted their strength, but there are two hidden dangers. The team is not united, and Brunson's upper limit is not high. Meanwhile, there's one team that's been overlooked.

After the start of the preseason, there is one team that has not lost a single game, and that is the Magic. They defeated the Heat by 8 points in the first game, beat the 76ers by 30 points in the second game, and beat the Heat by 16 points in the second game. They won a total of 54 points in the three games. Of course, the Magic certainly did not exert their full strength. As the leader of the team, Banqueiro played a total of 37 minutes in three games, which was a failure; the second leader, Wagner Jr., played a total of 36 minutes in three games, which was also a failure. However, their lineup depth is indeed the first in the league! During the offseason, the Magic sent away Cole Anthony + Pope + 4 first-rounders + 1 first-round swap rights, acquired the muscular short-handed Bane from the Grizzlies, gave Benqueiro a 5-year super-max salary extension contract of 239 million, extended Wagner with 5 million in 1 year, and signed Tyus Jones with 7 million in 1 year.

In the past two seasons, the Magic won 47 and 41 wins respectively. Although the winning rate last season was also 50%, the process was very bitter. From Suggs to Banqueiro, and then to the Wagner brothers, several cornerstones of the team were injured in turn, seriously even reimbursed for the season. In the end, although the Magic also entered the playoffs, they were eliminated by the Celtics 4-1 in the first round. But there are also many surprises on this journey! First of all, core Banqueiro is a rare playoff star. In the past two regular seasons, he averaged 23+7+5 and 26+7.5+4.8 per game respectively. In the playoffs, it jumped to 27+8.6+4 and 29.4+8.4+4.2. You must know that he is not yet 23 years old, but as the No. 1 pick in 22 years, he has gradually caught up with Edwards, the No. 1 pick in 20 years.

The team's second-in-command, Wagner Jr., is also very strong. He averaged 25.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in the playoffs last season. When the Magic had a full camp full of injuries, they relied on these two young men to compete with the Celtics. What's even more frightening is that the Magic's dominance on the defensive end last season was no less than that of the championship Thunder: ranking first in the league with 6.0 blocks per game, second in the league in defensive efficiency of 109.1, and second in the league in limiting opponent's field goal percentage! The Magic's biggest problem is their weak offense and lack of three-pointers. Last season, the Magic ranked last in the league in three-point field goal attempts and field goal percentage, and were also last in the league in assists. They relied entirely on willpower to drag their opponents to the same level as themselves without a complete lineup.

But the new season is different! Judging from the Magic lineup prediction given by the US media, the starting lineup is: Tyus Jones + Bain + Wagner Jr. + Benqueiro + Wendell Carter. In the first five seasons of Bain's career, Bain's three-point shooting percentage was 41%! In the past four seasons, Tyus Jones has assisted 1,655 times and made 277 turnovers. The assist-to-turnover ratio is close to 6:1. He also maintains a three-point shooting rate of about 40%. The bench also has a lineup driven by two engines in Wagner and Suggs. The Magic’s biggest advantage is The potential is height, but the speed is definitely not slow. The key is that they do not lack talent. For example, Blake, the 6th pick in the first round in 2023, averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game last season; Silva, the 18th pick in the first round in 2024, averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds last season.

Including Bitadze and Howard, both are high-ranking rookies. According to American media, when healthy, the Magic have the strength to hit the top three in the Eastern Conference, and Banqueiro has also become one of the popular candidates for MVP in the new season! They are very similar to the Thunder two years ago, including the Timberwolves. The entire core framework has no obvious shortcomings. The team boss upgraded in the playoffs. It stands to reason that if it were not for regular season injuries last season, they would have achieved results long ago! The Cavaliers' two guards have shortcomings, the Knicks are not united, and Brunson's high-end efficiency is average. In comparison, the Magic are younger and have a higher growth ceiling. If this continues, there may not be much suspense in the Eastern Conference in the new season.