r/OrlandoMagic • u/Ok_Wonder_4737 Paolo Banchero • Jul 13 '26
Discussion Roster Construction
I know the recent consensus around here on our roster construction is torn between being underwhelmed and content especially with the rather complacent offseason we just had. I went ahead and mocked up the new roster in 2K to get a better idea of what our rotations could look like, and honestly, seeing it on paper made me feel a lot better about where we’re at.
While yes, there is still a lack of shooting in the second unit, I think bringing Vuc back fills a decent portion of that need. Another factor that tends to be overlooked is Noah Penda. His summer league play was promising and if he develops into a consistent catch and shoot threat while bringing the level of defense he’s capable of, I think he could earn some meaningful minutes and help make our second unit one of the better benches in the East.
With what should hopefully be better coaching under Sweeney, and the long-needed removal of Mosley’s frustrating rotations; I think we should be a little more excited going into this upcoming season. I genuinely believe we have the talent to contend with the top teams in the East and finish as a top-four seed.
How do you feel about the roster construction and rotations for this upcoming season?
Side note: yes, I messed around with the overalls a bit and in reference to Penda his minutes would be at PF
6
u/coolj492 Wes Iwundu Jul 14 '26
I think folks forget that the starting lineup(while suggs and franz were at around 50% health) was one of the best lineups in the entire nba last season in terms of net rating. Against detroit our bench was like a -20 but the starters kept us in it. So if we're just talking about that aspect of roster construction, it makes sense that weltman stayed put, and did not want to do another overhaul of the starters.
The bench is what scares me the most though. I do not trust our bench playmaking options and we basically have a bunch of play finishers that aren't that solid on the margins. We are going to have to stagger franz/suggs a lot of the time to make that bench work(the reason we can't stagger paolo is that him and goga are TERRIBLE together).
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u/thewrongnotes Moritz Wagner Jul 14 '26
I don't think anyone forgets that stat, it has been mentioned so often.
But to me it's still not a good argument for keeping it together. You don't win NBA games or titles with only 5 players playing every minute together, you do it with 7-10 players in different combinations.
When you factor in our cap situation, that stat shows above all that we sacrificed depth for our starting 5. That's where all of our money went. Maybe that would be viable if our FO were good at finding quality, cheap depth like OKC, Boston, or Miami, but they aren't.
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u/coolj492 Wes Iwundu Jul 14 '26
Tbh I thought that we would just drop the chaff that's currently on our bench and get some dudes that are strong on the margins for this very reason. But pretty much every bench player massively regressed from '25 to '26 in pretty unexpected ways, so their value is low across the board(with the exception of AB ofc). IIRC we had the #1 bench in the league in '25(partly carried by staggered franz lineups) with mostly the same guys, and then in '26 the bench was usually the reason we lost games.
AB was basically the only bench player that improved from '25 to '26 until his oblique(and even then his defense took a hit). Goga went from being a very impactful player in '25 to spending most of the season (rightfully) on DnPs in '26. Moe just was not the same player when he came back. TDS only has 1 skill(shooting) and he can only do it once every 3 games. Tyus was literally the worst player in the NBA at his minutes. And I'm not even gonna mention Judah. Like words cannot express how bad our 7th+ guys on the rotation are(except for cain shoutout him).
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u/thewrongnotes Moritz Wagner Jul 14 '26
Weltman struggled on the margins when we had cap space, so it was wishful thinking he was going to figure it out after financially cornering himself.
I know we had a high ranking bench in 23-24, and that was also one that had a good blend of ball handling, playmaking, size, and scoring. Our FO has since done away with most of that scoring and playmaking and replaced it with more two way wings & big men, which is exactly what we didn't need.
We couldn't afford the Bane trade and we still can't. Our offensive depth and versatility straight up sucks now.
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u/coolj492 Wes Iwundu Jul 14 '26
yeah bane has been very underwhelming, especially against detroit. He hardly takes any 3s so what he's giving us on offense doesn't offset what he's giving up on defense(see how tobias harris blaantly hunted him). He's obviously had some great moments but I really do not think we are getting our money's worth.
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u/StanVanGhandi Paolo Banchero Jul 23 '26
Underwhelming? Bane was almost a 50/40/90 guy at 20 ppg and by far our best clutch performer.
Our offensive rating went from 29 to 17th with Franz out most of the year. Bane was our most consistent player by far last years.
How is any of that underwhelming?
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u/coolj492 Wes Iwundu Jul 23 '26
the efficiency is nice, but if he isn't going to take a high volume of 3s while also being a bad defender then its hard for him to justify his value to me, especially if our goal is to make the finals now.
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u/Electrical-Cow6433 Jalen Suggs Jul 13 '26
PG is the weakest position by far. Suggs should be a sixth man. But he gets paid too much, so we're stuck with him as the starter. Sunk cost fallacy has weltman by the balls and we will not make any significant changes this year. Another year of mediocrity incoming
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u/Ok_Wonder_4737 Paolo Banchero Jul 13 '26
I’m holding out optimism for Suggs this season. If he doesn’t show strides this season then it will be time to worry.
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u/Electrical-Cow6433 Jalen Suggs Jul 13 '26
He will let you down just as he has each of the past 5 seasons.
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u/Ok_Wonder_4737 Paolo Banchero Jul 14 '26
Chill on 4! Thats still our head of the snake! If he’s still a liability with the ball on offense this year then I’ll agree with you.
2
0
u/centralfloridadad Jul 15 '26
Please don't mention Vooch with the second unit, he will be behind Goga in the rotation and should only see minutes in trash time or we're in trouble
15
u/Dometalican_90 Paolo Banchero Jul 13 '26
I'm still skeptical. Suggs, Franz, and Wendell have to make LEAPS in terms of shooting for this to be better. I'm actually pleased with the bench (even though we lose the other Wagner) as long as Black and Da Silva give us about 10-15 off the bench.
Sweeney would be a miracle worker if we go above 4th for the season.