One of the most iconic highlights in NBA history came when Dwyane Wade threw an alley-oop to LeBron James and ran off while celebrating before James had even completed the dunk. Today, we saw Orlando Magic guards Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony replicate that moment, including Suggs copying Wade’s iconic celebration as Anthony dunked it.
Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony did their best Bron x D-Wade impression 🍿🔥 https://t.co/WUa6DSdwhg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 30, 2023
The original will always be the best version of it, with that dunk leading to one of the greatest pictures in NBA history. The difference between this and the Magic dunk is that Wade threw a bounce pass to LeBron who went up with the ball, as compared to Suggs throwing the ball in the air for Anthony to catch it.
The Magic are off to a sensational start this season. They have the second-best record in the East, just one game behind the top-seeded Celtics, a team they’ve already beaten this season. Their 13-5 record is a testament to how coach Jamahl Mosley is making the young core compete their hearts out every night.
Last season, many would’ve assumed the Magic and Pistons are in the same stage of their respective rebuilds. But with the Pistons being the worst team in the NBA, the Magic are showing how a well-orchestrated rebuild can go.
The Orlando Magic Are Back To Competing
Fans of the Eastern Conference know that the Magic had found a sense of consistency from the Dwight Howard era onwards. They went to the Finals in 2009 and were among the top contenders in the East every season until Howard left. After pivoting to a rebuild for a few seasons, the Magic returned to being a competitive playoff out with the likes of Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier.
When the Magic wanted to move on from the Vucevic and Fournier era of first-round exits, they made shrewd trades to put themselves in the positions they’re in now. They could return to being a first-round team this season itself, with an almost exclusively young core of talent leading them to this success.
Paolo Banchero is among the best young prospects in the NBA, with the 2023 Rookie of the Year overcoming a slow start to the season to be one of the team’s leaders. Franz Wagner is continuing his growth as one of the most adept scoring wings in the NBA, slowly developing his defense as well.
The Magic don’t have a franchise point guard just yet, but Jalen Suggs looks like he’ll be in the backcourt regardless of what happens with Cole Anthony or Markelle Fultz. Suggs also has the potential to be an All-Defense First Team guard, so the Magic will hope his shooting starts to find more consistency to solidify his status as a franchise cornerstone along with Banchero and Wagner. Maybe rookie Anthony Black is the future point guard of the franchise, but we’ll need to see him develop to make that claim.
Orlando is the destination for arguably the best young core in the NBA outside the OKC Thunder. With both these recently struggling teams getting their rosters in order, the NBA’s elite is contending with a youth invasion from traditional ‘rebuilding’ rosters.
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