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Magic Veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Speaks on His Underwhelming First Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Reign Amurao | Last updated May 8, 2025 1:09 AM ET

The Orlando Magic found one of the best veterans in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during the 2024 offseason. They signed KCP to a three-year, $66 million deal in hopes of helping build a competitive squad around their young core. While the veteran shooting guard provided the much-needed veteran leadership, his production decreased in his first season with the team.

KCP played 77 games for the Magic and averaged 8.7 points on 34.2% shooting from deep. His scoring output is the second-lowest of his career. It's also the first time the former lottery pick scored under double digits since the 2020-21 season.

However, the 12-year veteran admitted that he had an underwhelming first season with the Magic.

In an article written by Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel, Caldwell-Pope talked about his disappointing performance.

“Not as I expected for my performance,” KCP said. “I finished a little solid, but shooting-wise that could be a lot better. That goes into a lot. I thought my season was pretty good despite everything we’ve been through.”

His troubles carried over to the postseason. In the five games he played, Caldwell-Pope didn't post the best numbers of his career. He averaged five points and three rebounds on 26.7% shooting from the field. The two-time champion struggled to be a threat from deep and only made 26.1% of his 3-pointers.

His inconsistent play isn't the main reason why the Magic failed to win their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. However, he couldn't provide the much-needed contribution when their season was on the line.

Caldwell-Pope said that it could take some time for him to get used to the new team and find his spots on the floor. His spot in Orlando is safe since he still has two years left in his deal. KCP assured that he'll make the best of his chances next season and bounce back.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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