Predictions for the 2024/25 Season

[Bensational]

Finals this season.

Championship next season once Black, Jett and TDS are ready.

Some Magic fans still won’t be happy.

[zaymon]

Our offense is worse than last year becouse we lost Ingles.
Howard earns rotation spot.
Cole loses rotation spot.
Suggs fails as point guard.
We win less games than last year and fall to play ins.
I also think we will get a new point guard after season.

[Skybox]

Our offense is worse than last year becouse we lost Ingles.
Howard earns rotation spot.
Cole loses rotation spot.
Suggs fails as point guard.
We win less games than last year and fall to play ins.
I also think we will get a new point guard after season.

Sure hope you’re wrong…but that’s as fact-based as any other projection out there. In that mindset, I might add “#2 defense in the NBA, but nobody notices”. They just didn’t address their gaping holes…it’s like a team with Gobert signing Walker Kessler, just doubling down on a position of “non-need”…the only way KCP is a mastermind move is if Suggs is ultimately traded and/or Black makes a great leap as a game manager.

[basketballRob]

The schedule looks tough at the start of the season. We could start 5-10 or something like that

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM mobile app

[Knightro]

Anthony Black gets less than 250 assists this season.

[eyriq]

Anthony Black gets less than 250 assists this season.

Bold prediction. Who finished with more than 250 last season? Only Franz and Paolo.

[Knightro]

Anthony Black gets less than 250 assists this season.

Bold prediction. Who finished with more than 250 last season? Only Franz and Paolo.

You would think a point guard would be able to get more than 3 APG...

[eyriq]

Anthony Black gets less than 250 assists this season.

Bold prediction. Who finished with more than 250 last season? Only Franz and Paolo.

You would think a point guard would be able to get more than 3 APG...

You'd expect a primary playmaker to get more, not necessarily a point guard to get more...

[Knightro]

Bold prediction. Who finished with more than 250 last season? Only Franz and Paolo.

You would think a point guard would be able to get more than 3 APG...

You'd expect a primary playmaker to get more, not necessarily a point guard to get more...

I'm just not going to do this with you anymore, man.

It's bad faith arguing, you know it's bad faith arguing, and I'm honestly sick of it because I know that you're a person who is smart enough to understand things at a level far beyond the arguments you're making.

This whole "oh well just because Black doesn't perform the traditional duties of a point guard doesn't mean he's not still playing point guard for this team!" just isn't the argument you think it is. That's just bad faith stuff.

[RichCollab]

You would think a point guard would be able to get more than 3 APG...

You'd expect a primary playmaker to get more, not necessarily a point guard to get more...

I'm just not going to do this with you anymore, man.

It's bad faith arguing, you know it's bad faith arguing, and I'm honestly sick of it because I know that you're a person who is smart enough to understand things at a level far beyond the arguments you're making.

This whole "oh well just because Black doesn't perform the traditional duties of a point guard doesn't mean he's not still playing point guard for this team!" just isn't the argument you think it is. That's just bad faith stuff.

Who doesn’t think Black is a PG?

Him being a 6’8” PG is where his advantage comes from!

[eyriq]

You would think a point guard would be able to get more than 3 APG...

You'd expect a primary playmaker to get more, not necessarily a point guard to get more...

I'm just not going to do this with you anymore, man.

It's bad faith arguing, you know it's bad faith arguing, and I'm honestly sick of it because I know that you're a person who is smart enough to understand things at a level far beyond the arguments you're making.

This whole "oh well just because Black doesn't perform the traditional duties of a point guard doesn't mean he's not still playing point guard for this team!" just isn't the argument you think it is. That's just bad faith stuff.

I don't understand your resistance to the idea that playmakers generate assists regardless of their position, and non-playmakers don't generate assists regardless of their position.

Maybe you are good with that?

If so, then there's the point about what makes someone a playmaker. It's obviously some part ability and some part opportunity. If you get the opportunity (i.e., the coach gives you that role), but you lack the ability, you won't keep that role for long. If you don't get that role but have the ability, you need to change the coach's mind.

AB didn't get that role last season. I don't think it's because he lacks the ability. You're smarter than me, so you can fill in the rest of the narrative.

[Knightro]

Who doesn’t think Black is a PG?

Him being a 6’8” PG is where his advantage comes from!

He isn't one right now.

Anthony Black did not perform any traditional or non-traditional point guard duties on offense since joining the NBA outside of garbage time. In every single non-garbage time minute he played last year, he was used pretty much exclusively as a stationary catch-and-shoot player on the wing or in the corners.

He didn't handle the basketball in the halfcourt. He didn't create shot opportunities for himself or for others in the halfcourt. He didn't initiate any offense whatsoever in a halfcourt set.

Could he become a point guard? Sure! But that would require the Magic actually putting him in a position to actually show any sort of skills that point guards should possess.

They used him as a off-ball wing last year and that hasn't changed a whole lot through two preseason games this year either.

[Knightro]

I don't understand your resistance to the idea that playmakers generate assists regardless of their position, and non-playmakers don't generate assists regardless of their position.

Maybe you are good with that?

If so, then there's the point about what makes someone a playmaker. It's obviously some part ability and some part opportunity. If you get the opportunity (i.e., the coach gives you that role), but you lack the ability, you won't keep that role for long. If you don't get that role but have the ability, you need to change the coach's mind.

AB didn't get that role last season. I don't think it's because he lacks the ability. You're smarter than me, so you can fill in the rest of the narrative.

Forget about assists for a second. Black literally barely handled the basketball last year.

On a team completely devoid of playmaking out of their backcourt, the Magic's coaches just refused to allow this allegedly high end playmaker even TRY to handle the ball and create shots for himself and others? Come on man. They didn't let him do it because he's not good at it.

He was 11th on the team in front court touches last season. He was 8th on the team in dribbles per touch last season.

I don't know on what friggin planet someone who doesn't dribble or really even touch the ball in the halfcourt could possibly be considered a point guard.

And before you come back with your inevitable "oh well they didn't ask him to do that because Paolo and Franz are the playmakers!" take - that's ignoring the fact that Suggs, Cole, Markelle and Ingles - every single one of them touched the ball more often in the front court. They all dribbled the ball more often. They all had the basketball in their hands more.

So clearly this isn't a "oh well, no point guard would touch the ball that much because of Paolo and Franz!" when Suggs was over 20 front court touches a game and Cole was right under 20 from court touches touches a game. Black was at 12. Less than Gary freaking Harris.

Like what are we even talking about here, man?

Black has good potential and I do actually like him as a prospect, but he was used as wing last year and appears set to be used as a wing again this year.

[p0peye]

Don't tell me I am not a fighter jet pilot just because I can't fly. I've been flying planes in video games since high school and I got fighter jet pilot written down on my jacket.

[VFX]

Offense will be worse than 18th.
Orlando finishes with a worse record than last year.

[eyriq]

Don't tell me I am not a fighter jet pilot just because I can't fly. I've been flying planes in video games since high school and I got fighter jet pilot written down on my jacket.

You got the analogy wrong. To be AB you'd be a fighter pilot whose first role involved not flying.

[Knightro]

Don't tell me I am not a fighter jet pilot just because I can't fly. I've been flying planes in video games since high school and I got fighter jet pilot written down on my jacket.

You got the analogy wrong. To be AB you'd be a fighter pilot whose first role involved not flying.

If you join the military to become a pilot, but don’t ever actually fly a plane and instead they have you under the aircraft repairing mechanical issues, you aren’t a pilot.

Even if you possess the necessary skills to fly a plane. Until you actually do it, you’re not a pilot.

[p0peye]

Don't tell me I am not a fighter jet pilot just because I can't fly. I've been flying planes in video games since high school and I got fighter jet pilot written down on my jacket.

You got the analogy wrong. To be AB you'd be a fighter pilot whose first role involved not flying.

By first role, I mean my only role is not to fly, but I'm a pilot of the future or else I wouldn't have the jacket!

[eyriq]

Don't tell me I am not a fighter jet pilot just because I can't fly. I've been flying planes in video games since high school and I got fighter jet pilot written down on my jacket.

You got the analogy wrong. To be AB you'd be a fighter pilot whose first role involved not flying.

If you join the military to become a pilot, but don’t ever actually fly a plane and instead they have you under the aircraft repairing mechanical issues, you aren’t a pilot.

Even if you possess the necessary skills to fly a plane. Until you actually do it, you’re not a pilot.

He was a rookie that was brought into the SL as an injury replacement and in a role that would limit his mistakes. Show a little more patience.

[eyriq]

Don't tell me I am not a fighter jet pilot just because I can't fly. I've been flying planes in video games since high school and I got fighter jet pilot written down on my jacket.

You got the analogy wrong. To be AB you'd be a fighter pilot whose first role involved not flying.

By first role, I mean my only role is not to fly, but I'm a pilot of the future or else I wouldn't have the jacket!

I'm pretty sure AB is here to fly LOL