

Carter makes a great bounce pass to Harris for the lay-in and the easy two.Ĭonsidering how the Magic seem like they want to spread the floor next year, this could be the kind of passing and the kind of sets the team uses more. With no other bigs on the floor, he pulls Rudy Gobert out to the perimeter and creates a lane for Gary Harris to cut along the baseline. In this play from an early season win over the Utah Jazz, the Magic get Carter the ball at the high post. Carter was able to read defenses and pinpoint passes to the perimeter or into the lane from the high post.
MILWAUKEE ONE KEY FULL
That was on full display throughout the season. And because Carter is a capable jump shooter, his defender has to go with him.
MILWAUKEE ONE KEY FREE
By drawing the center out above the free throw line, it takes the team’s rim protector away from the paint. This may be something the Magic implement a bit more with Banchero in the lineup able to work down low.īut what this high-low setup does is create space to cut through the lane. Under Steve Clifford, Orlando often started games with a possession where Nikola Vucevic set up Aaron Gordon for a post look. The Magic did not run a lot of the traditional high-low sets - where one big operates from the high post or elbow area to pass down to the other big in the low block. That is where he operated well in the high post too. Carter is patient and deliberate with the ball and reads the double teams well to find the open man or keep the ball moving.

This is a typical play for Carter and shows exactly how Wagner worked off of Carter throughout the season. Hard to believe considering his overall impact. He had a career-high 57.6-percent effective field goal percentage and 60.1-percent true shooting percentage.Īll this while his usage rate hovered just more than 20-percent at 20.9-percent. He was stupendous offensively, averaging 15.0 points per game and added a 3-point shot to his game - he still shot 32.7-percent from beyond the arc, but it was enough to get defenses to pay attention to him. Orlando put a lot of decision-making in Carter’s hands. The Magic used him out of the high post and in dribble hand-offs. That includes at center where Wendell Carter’s passing could be the thing that unlocks the whole project.Ĭarter acted as something of a fulcrum for the team throughout the season. The Orlando Magic are trying to build a versatile lineup with playmakers at all positions.


That includes at center where Wendell Carter will be one of the biggest weapons for the team. They want everyone to be able to make a play and put pressure on defenses. What the Magic are seemingly trying to build is a lineup where all five players on the court are capable of making plays and capable of impacting the game in multiple ways. Franz Wagner showed incredible playmaking chops - in addition to being on the receiving end from smart cuts. It was the most impressive thing from an impressive run in Summer League. Its potential was on display even in Summer League with the way the team used Paolo Banchero as its nominal point guard and center at the same time, bringing the ball up and directing the offense with pinpoint passes. The team has size, but it also has skill.
