Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey dribbles past Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Are Magic dealing with growing pains or legitimate concerns?

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Orlando Magic are in need of a turnaround after a struggling start to the season.

Since beating the Miami Heat in their first game, the Magic have gone winless with games defined by poor defense and 3-point shooting. That's why Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes named the Magic as one of the league's "losers" after the first week of the season.

"Orlando defined itself by three-point futility last season, posting a 31.8 percent accuracy mark that ranked as the worst by any team with at least 2,500 attempts in NBA history," Hughes wrote.

"They traded away a half-decade's worth of first-round assets for Desmond Bane and his 41.0 percent career mark from deep and also acquired Tyus Jones to keep the ball moving. The obvious hope was to create more threes and, ideally, hit them once in a while.

"The sample is small, so it may not be time to panic just yet. Bane won't keep shooting under 30.0 percent for the season. That said, the volume numbers are jarring. One would have hoped to see the Magic come out firing, setting a tone and emphasizing three-point volume after last year's failure to take or make enough triples. Instead, Orlando is as gun shy as ever and struggling on offense as a result."

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Magic need fortunes to change

The Magic know they need to play better in order to turn things around. The outside expectations have added a sense of urgency, so the 1-3 start is a little more alarming.

The Magic are still trying to figure out how to incorporate Bane and Jones in the offense while pushing the pace, which is costing them some of their energy on the defensive end. Growing pains were to be expected, but the fact that it comes at the beginning of the season has people concerned.

Once the Magic start winning games, the noise won't be as loud. However, there's not necessarily a set time where things will click and turn around.

It can come on any given night, beginning with this upcoming game against the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.