As the Magic move forward without center Wendell Carter Jr., who fractured his left (non-shooting) hand in the final moments of Thursday’s win in Utah, coach Jamahl Mosley will lean on his depth to figure out which lineups and rotations give Orlando the best chance to win until the 6-10 center returns.
Ahead of Saturday’s 120-101 home victory against the Lakers, the Magic announced that Carter will undergo surgery to repair a fractured third metacarpal in his left hand. Following surgery, he will be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks and his status will be updated as appropriate, the team said.
The Magic had six players score in double figures to defeat Los Angeles and improve to 4-2. Franz Wagner scored 26 and Paolo Banchero tallied 25 to pace Orlando.
With Carter out for at least the next three weeks, it’s clear that role players such as 6-10 center Goga Bitadze and 6-11 center Moe Wagner will need to step up in Carter’s absence.
Bitadze earned the start against the Lakers as Mosley decided to keep Wagner in his regular spot with the second unit.
The Magic were also without regular starting point guard Markelle Fultz (left knee swelling) which moved rookie Anthony Black into the starting lineup for the first time of his early NBA career.
“Both of them have very good basketball IQs and feels for the game,” Mosley said pregame about Black and Bitadze. “That’s so important as we continue to play with different lineups that we have guys out there that understand the concepts of what we want to accomplish.”
Veteran sharpshooter Gary Harris was also out due to a strained right groin. Mosley said Harris and Fultz will continue to be monitored.
The tricky part for Mosley and his coaching staff will be tinkering with lineups while making sure to keep continuity with what’s already worked well early in the season.
At center, Wagner has provided a boost at times offensively for the Magic’s second unit, averaging 9.4 points on 66.7% shooting in 16 minutes this season. He’s also played alongside 6-10 forward Jonathan Isaac in a large lineup that’s allowed Orlando to defend well thanks to Isaac’s ability to disrupt shots.
Bitadze, who was drafted No. 18 by the Pacers in 2019 before getting cut last season, averaged 5.8 points with 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17 games with the Magic after he joined them in February.
At guard, rookie Anthony Black played his first meaningful minutes of his early career against the Jazz and scored 9 points with 3 rebounds and 2 steals. In addition to regular sixth man Cole Anthony, who does a good job of creating his own shot, Orlando also has second-year guard Caleb Houstan and rookie Jett Howard on its bench.
Regardless of how Mosley handles the team’s rotation and lineups, the Magic coach feels confident about his options. He explained his philosophy to adjusting lineups with multiple players out.
“You get information from your staff, you look at the numbers and who’s better with what lineups and obviously right now it’s such a small sample size of what that looks like,” Mosley said ahead of Saturday’s game. “The other factor is the trust that you in whoever you throw in there.
“Whichever way we go in this situation, it’s going to work out well because the guys — whether they’re in the second unit or have not played as many minutes — they’re going to come in prepared.”
Orlando deciding in the offseason not to shake up its roster in any major way — the team only signed one free agent (Joe Ingles) and drafted Black and Howard — has supplied the Magic with key continuity and built-in chemistry this year.
“That’s why you have continuity because you never know what happens,” Wagner said at shootaround Saturday. “The turnover in the NBA is so crazy. People get traded, fired [or] hurt all of the time.
“You need that consistency in the way that you approach every day and the way that you prepare in order to have that safety net to fall back on.”
The Magic will continue to adjust its rotations and learn what works best when they host the Mavericks on Monday (Bally Sports Florida, 7).
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, also known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
![Magic rookie Anthony Black made his fourth start Tuesday night against the Nets. His teammates have noticed his confidence on the court. "I do like [that] he's got a little feistiness to him," Orlando center Moe Wagner said. "He talks a little smack sometimes which I like."](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Magic-Nets-Basketball.jpg?w=525 "Magic rookie Anthony Black made his fourth start Tuesday night against the Nets. His teammates have noticed his confidence on the court. \"I do like [that] he's got a little feistiness to him,\" Orlando center Moe Wagner said. \"He talks a little smack sometimes which I like.\"")
