The Sean Sweeney era in Orlando could be off to a better start.
The Magic dropped their third straight game on Thursday night, a 117-104 defeat against the Phoenix Suns despite a 27-point performance from Wendell Carter Jr. The loss dropped Orlando to 2-6 so far this season.
For a team with playoff expectations, the Magic have dug themselves an early hole to climb out of — the path to the playoffs will not be easy, particularly if a few areas of concern aren’t addressed.
Here’s a look at the three main reasons for the Magic’s slow start in 2026-27.
Reasons behind the Magic’s slow start
Injuries
To put it plainly: the Magic are a much better team when Paolo Banchero is on the floor. That’s no knock on Orlando — most NBA teams struggle without their best player. But after a 35-point night in the season-opener, Banchero has been out with a sprained ankle.
Without Banchero, the Magic haven’t had a go-to scorer, especially with Franz Wagner (41.9% from the floor) struggling to shoot the ball early this season. Orlando hasn’t had a 30-point scorer since Banchero’s opener against Atlanta, and it took 28 Desmond Bane points to beat the Raptors last week.
Banchero was given a four-to-six week timeline, meaning the Magic still likely have plenty of time without him. And that’s all without mentioning Jalen Suggs’ absence, leaving an all-around impact on both ends of the floor vacant.
Orlando needs Wagner to be more efficient as a three-level scorer, and for Bane to take over offensively more often. Without Banchero and Suggs, there are critical voids not being filled.
Turnovers
Entering Thursday’s game, the Magic were averaging the sixth-most turnovers per game in the NBA, in the same territory as teams like the Nets, Bulls, Kings, Pelicans and Jazz. That isn’t a group of teams Orlando expected to be in conversations with this season.
That was before another 25 turnovers against the Suns, who came into the game with just one win this season. Wagner turned the ball over six times — though he did have 15 assists — and Anthony Black had another five turnovers.
Particularly with Banchero and Suggs absent, the margin for error is thinner. The Magic need Wagner to take care of the ball as the lead star right now, and Sweeney’s first Orlando team needs to play a much cleaner brand of basketball if it’s going to turn things around.
Book starts the break and Dillon ends it 📚😈 https://t.co/XDjF4oQJFx
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 6, 2026
3-point shooting
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Magic aren’t a good enough 3-point shooting team to succeed. That has been a consistent theme of the last few seasons, something the Bane trade couldn’t even mask.
Despite Bane connecting on 3.6 shots from deep per game, the rest of the Magic are making 9.5 per game. Entering Thursday’s game against Phoenix, Orlando 13.1 threes made per game ranked in the middle of the pack in the NBA, but the Magic shot 13-of-38 (34%) against the Suns.
In their two wins this season, the Magic shot over 40% from deep as a team. It’s one of their clear recipes for success without Banchero’s shot creating; getting Bane as many open looks as possible should be a priority, as should Wagner seeking out more efficient looks.
With Wagner shooting 20% from 3-point range, the Banchero-less Magic simply aren’t enough of a deep threat to opposing defenses. While Wagner’s passing has been an asset, his inefficiency has hurt.
MORE NBA:
