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Season series: Tonight in Orlando; November 29 in Brooklyn (NBA Cup); Dec. 1 in Brooklyn; Dec. 29 in Orlando
Season series 2024: Nets 124, Magic 104 in Brooklyn on November 14 (NBA Cup); Nets 129, Magic 101 in Brooklyn on Dec. 2; Magic 108, Nets 81 in Orlando on Feb. 27; Magic 114, Nets 106 in Orlando on March 13

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The Orlando Magic have said all offseason that they were ready to take the next step and win home field advantage in the Eastern Conference. They believe they are ready to compete at the highest level within the conference. And to do that, they pointed out a lot of things.

One of the biggest was realizing that every game is important. That the match against the teams that are at the bottom of the rankings in mid-January was just as important as the last match of the season.

Orlando did the first part of supporting the team’s ambitions and did the talking on Wednesday by beating the Miami Heat 116-97 in the season opener. That was a road win where the odds were against them.

Friday’s home opener at the Kia Center will be the Magic’s chance to prove the other side of that coin. Will they once again dominate the teams expected to be at the bottom of the standings after going 28-7 against teams with sub-.500 records?

Orlando needs to have the same focus and intensity that the team brought to Miami. After all, the Brooklyn Nets were two of those losses for the Magic against teams with losing records last year.

3. Orlando Magic, 3-point shooting team?

The Orlando Magic’s most glaring weakness and glaring need has always been their three-point shooting. Last year, they finished 24th in three-point field goal percentage and 29th in three-point attempts per game. As a result, they scored the fewest three-pointers in the competition.

Everyone was concerned about the Magic’s shooting and their ability to generate enough three-point offense.

So what do we think about the Magic taking 49 three-point attempts in their season opener?

Last year, Orlando had just six games with 40 or more three-point attempts and only one game with more than 45 three-pointers. Those 49 attempts would have been the most the Magic recorded in any game last year. The fact that they made 18 only made it sweeter.

Orlando focused much of the offseason on improving the spacing and the 22 corner threes the Magic took after averaging 8.1 corner threes per game last year.

It’s just one game. But that deserves a “Is this a thing?” watch the Magic enter their second game.

2. Pace and transition

The Orlando Magic are also trying to improve in another area offensively. The team needs to be more effective in transition and score more at halftime. The Magic struggled in that area last year, scoring just 12.4 fast break points per game and 1.10 points per possession in transition last year.

In the game against the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic pushed the pace a little more. But scoring in transition remains a struggle. Orlando scored just 0.96 points per possession in transition, even as they capitalized on more opportunities to rack up 19 fast break points.

The bigger question coming against the Brooklyn Nets is whether the Orlando Magic can turn their defense into offense more effectively and limit the transition options themselves.

The biggest issue Orlando struggled with in Wednesday’s game was communication during transition to ensure they could cover each other. The Heat scored 18 fast break points, most of them in the first half. The Magic will have to tighten up that communication defensively.

1. The Great Play of Franz Wagner

Everyone is rightly excited about Paolo Banchero’s big performance in the Orlando Magic season opener: his 33-point performance in the opening game and the complete control he had over the game. The world is abuzz with what seems like a breakthrough year for him.

But Franz Wagner wasn’t too shabby in his attempt either. Wagner scored 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting. He even made three of his six three-point attempts, two of which came in the third quarter. Wagner got off to a slow start, making just three of his first seven shots. He was still a little off with his floats and interludes.

He picked things up in the third quarter. That was a big part of the team’s resurgence and the way the team zoomed forward. Wagner has done a lot of work on cuts and in the middle of the Miami Heat defense. He created his own scoring opportunities with steals.

Wagner had to see the ball go through the hoop poorly after struggling with his shot in the preseason. The Magic will need him to continue gaining confidence.