I didn’t know how to watch the NBA when I was a young kid getting into basketball in Australia. It wasn’t really around.

But I was a youth who loved basketball and caps so I wanted a basketball cap. I chose the Hornets because they had, to my eyes, the coolest logo. It was, at the very least, the most 90s one on offer.

Glorious.

(The Hornets still have some of the best branding in the league. Shame about everything else.)

My dad, meanwhile, chose the Orlando Magic for the same reason. Their logo didn’t have the same in-your-face attitude of the Hornets so it didn’t fly for me. This logo didn’t ride a skateboard or furrow the brow of your uptight school principal. But I saw the appeal.

It shimmers, it shines.

All of that is to say: I have a fondness for the Orlando Magic. It’s all tied up with my love for my slightly gooberish, fantasy-loving dad but it’s a fondness nevertheless. I want nice things for them in the way I want nice things for everything my dad directs his attention towards (even if it’s only to play along with his basketball loving son). 

The spell recast

Let’s recap the Magic from the late 90s to now: wow, oh, oh?, oh, wow, ah, ah…, wooooooooooof.

Thankfully, I wasn’t paying attention to league for most of that time. But the last few years have been a clear “‘oh?’ with an upward inflection” period. The Magic are good. They’re fun. They have a clear identity.

Paolo Banchero is just mowing down dudes. Franz Wagner has that classic “European white guy doing stuff” appeal (and his brother’s on the team – bonus points). Jalen Suggs defends like he’s a Swiftie in the replies of someone commenting on the carbon emissions of Taylor Swift’s private jet.

They’re a great team to watch. And I’m so damn thrilled.

Hitting your next spell slot

Now, Orlando have taken their next swing.

It’s been clear for a while that, for all the team’s defensive moxie, their offence was rough. Paolo and Franz are great with the ball in their hands but they need space. And the team didn’t have the 3-point shooting to provide it.

So they made a trade. They went and got Desmond Bane, shooter extraordinaire, from the Memphis Grizzlies.¹

Bane could be an incredible fit. He scores but doesn’t need the ball in his hands. He flies around off-ball. He can run the offence for a bit if you need him to. He plays hard and competes on defence. He knows how to shine alongside elite talent that demands attention. His last name is apt.

He gives a fuck. And he’s joining a team where fuck giving is demanded. 

Magic is fun (when you don’t think too hard)

I just can’t imagine a universe where this team isn’t fun. Paolo, Franz, Bane and Suggs could be a fantastic group. Just imagine it:

• Paolo growing into his powers and dropping buckets.

• Franz dropping jaws with his creativity. 

• Suggs grinding out people on defence.

• Bane running off screens and nailing 3s.

I have no idea where they’ll land in the standings or how far they’ll go in the playoffs (hopefully the second round at least). But they’ve taken a swing. And it’ll be fun.

If nothing else, I’ll hopefully have some positive news to share with my dad when he asks how the NBA is going. (Even though he still lambasts me for dropping the Hornets.)