Orlando set the record opening night for starting the youngest starting 5 in NBA history so with that comes bumps in the road, but it’s how you view the bumps that make this rebuild interesting and ultimately successful. Starting the season out with injuries in the past would’ve been a setback but this season it’s been positive because it’s given young guys minutes and the chance to develop properly and build great team chemistry. Starting Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., and Jalen Suggs in a lot of ways has been good for them because they have proven they can handle the minutes and for the most part are building winning habits. In fact, at one point, it had some of the best starting lineup numbers in the entire NBA, as pointed out by StatMuse.com.
The pace and style in which coach Mose wants to play are definitely fun and exciting and for the most part, the young guys are excelling and making a name for themselves. Guys are making chase-down blocks in blowouts, diving on the floor for loose balls, and sharing the ball on offense to the point where I want to throw the remote at the TV because they aren’t making open shots. Franz is displaying that he can contribute in many ways on both ends of the floor, Mo Bamba is displaying that he can stay on the floor and compete at a high level along with providing elite rim protection and shooting, WCJ is displaying that he truly is a versatile big that can defend the modern-day PF along with stretching his shooting to the three-point line. For a highly sought-after pick like Jalen Suggs, these minutes are showing that when he is in attack mode and less passive he has the ability to impact the game in so many ways. For Cole Anthony the heavy minutes early on have been exactly what he has needed to tap into his potential and create a nice rhythm. For the rest of the team mainly RJ so far this season has helped them understand where exactly they are in their development and where they stand once Orlando is fully healthy. RJ has been up and down but he continues to play aggressively on defense while learning to use his elite speed to his advantage on offense. Mo Wagner has established himself as the team’s tough guy and energy guy while putting up decent numbers. Chuma is working himself back into shape but he is showing flashes of being the team’s glue guy or Mr. Do it all.
