The Orlando Magic have been a below-average three-point shooting team over the past four seasons under head coach Jamahl Mosley. Orlando has shot 33.7% from behind the arc during this span on 33.7 attempts per game, 26th in the league.
The Magic struggles were the driving force behind acquiring Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies on June 15th, 2025. Desmond Bane has a career three-point shooting percentage of 41% on 6.3 attempts per game.
Desmond’s three-point shooting statistics put him well above the league average. According to Basketball Reference, the league average three-point shooting percentage since Bane entered the league in 2020 has been 36.2%.
Although the acquisition of Bane indicates that Orlando will improve their three-point percentage, the improvement will be less than expected. As of August 23rd, 2025, Desmond Bane is projected to be the only above-average three-point shooter in the starting lineup.
Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr all have a career three-point shooting percentage below 33% on a minimum of 2.3 attempts per game. The lack of above-average shooting will be a problem for the Orlando Magic due to their favorite offensive set.
The Pick-and-Roll Offense and Its Spacing Demands
During Mosley’s four-year tenure as head coach, the Magic have relied on the pick-and-roll offensive set to produce a significant portion of their offense. Over the past four seasons, Orlando has run a pick-and-roll on 18.2% of their offensive possessions, averaging 20 per game, which is top ten in the league.
The Orlando Magic have averaged 16.6 points per game in the play type, top five in the league. The play type has accounted for 15.4% of the scoring output as they have averaged 107.8 points per game.
Despite generating a high level of production in the play type, Orlando has been very inefficient. During the span, they have shot 41.8% from the field on 15.1 attempts per game, 20th in the league.
The catalyst behind Orlando’s inefficiency has been the lack of three-point shooting. When Orlando is running the play type, they like to have three players standing behind the arc as floor spacers to give the ball handler maximum spacing.
Orlando Magic vs Toronto Raptors
On March 4th, 2025, Cory Joseph had the ball on the right wing with nine minutes to go in the first quarter versus the Toronto Raptors. He went over a screen set by Banchero. Once he was on the other side, Joseph realized Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Pöltl, and Scottie Barnes surrounded him. As a result, he passed the ball to Banchero, who had popped out to the three-point line to reset the offensive possession.
As the sequence was unfolding, Wagner, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Carter Jr were standing behind the arc as floor spacers. The Magic’s pick-and-roll structure has contributed to them taking one particular type of three-pointer, catch-and-shoot.
Over the past four seasons, the Orlando Magic have averaged 25.2 catch-and-shoot threes per game, 74.8% of their total three-point attempts. Unfortunately, Orlando has only made 35.2% of their attempts, 25th in the league. Consequently, the acquisition of Desmond Bane will not be enough to improve their three-point percentage significantly.
This is because an opposing team will tell the players to stay close to Bane to prevent him from getting an open three. However, the Orlando Magic roster construction indicates that opposing teams will give the other players who are off the ball space. Opponents likely want to incentivize the other Orlando Magic players who are off the ball to take a low-percentage three-pointer.
Therefore, opponents will still have the opportunity to double-team the ball handler or put multiple bodies near the basket without leaving Bane open.
Although acquiring Bane will help Orlando’s three-point percentage, his impact will be minimal due to the players who surround him.
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