Orlando Magic
Paolo Banchero is a true No. 1. He’s good enough and moves well enough with that size where you have to base your defense around him. You got to be concerned about switching with him causing all sorts of problems. The only thing that can stand in his way is his shot, and he shot a little better last season. It should continue to get better.
Franz Wagner is pretty legit as a top option, too. He’s extremely skilled. He can shoot it. He can play and pick-and-roll. He’s got great size. Like a lot of the Euros, he can be soft and a bit of a baby, but offensively he’s really good.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a great fit. KCP fits almost anywhere. In Orlando, you got two guys that are ball-dominant scorers in Wagner and Banchero, and he can just space the floor. Three-and-D, spacing the floor around those guys, he’s a great addition.
Overall, the backcourt is pretty solid. Jalen Suggs is still a little more of a scoring guard, and he is very hard to guard the shot. Really good defender, tough on the ball, like a lot of guys on that team. The shooting percentage came up. He’s another availability guy. He was not injured in college and since being in the NBA he’s been a little banged up, but he’s been overall pretty solid.
Wendell Carter Jr. is a good five for them. He’s a good example of a guy drafted young, one year at Duke, and everybody kind of was like, ah, screw it. But now you got a five with size that’s a good screener, who can play in the pocket. On top of that, he has shown he can stretch the floor a little. Defensively, he’s not a super elite rim protector, but solid with good size.
Their length is huge. They give up a limited amount of threes and play decent paint defense. They do a good job with Carter in drops and limiting rotations, all that stuff. They’ve got a lot of switchable pieces. That defense is going to make them a tough out in the playoffs.
Cole Anthony is a guy that can get a bucket. Early on when they weren’t very good and he was young, it was a guy that was a ball stopper. Now he’s kind of developed into a guy who will play hard on defense, but he can get you a bucket in a way that off the bench can be pretty valuable.
Jonathan Isaac, if he’s healthy, he’s legit. Great length, great cutter. The shot is the only thing, but off the bench it hasn’t seemed to be a problem.
Miami Heat
Caleb Martin is a big loss because we’re in a league now where positionless basketball is huge. The guy I think will step up is Haywood Highsmith. He’s been solid and that classic Miami mold, they developed him, the whole nine. Obviously, he needs to shoot it a little better, but he’s got good size. A jump for him isn’t necessarily creating his own shot scoring, but Martin, they didn’t run any plays for him and they didn’t necessarily rely on him to go one-on-one. He was a glue guy. That’s what I think Highsmith can be.
I love Jaime Jaquez Jr. Great feel offensively, pit bull defensively, looked capable of creating his own shot but did a really good job at just playing off people, attacking closeouts. He has the ability to play in the paint, which is big these days, like off two feet and everything like that. Defensively was not a liability. Not a great three-point shooter, but someone who will get better.
The Terry Rozier-Tyler Herro backcourt is scary, and not in a good way. They are both defensive liabilities. Both fitted to be volume scorers in their best role. That’s not necessarily what’s needed there. Neither was very big. Herro was at his best in that bubble year when it was him and Duncan Robinson running around getting threes off of pick-and-rolls, catch-and-shoot actions.
I think Jimmy Butler still has a lot in the tank. Can he stay healthy? He’s a rare guy that doesn’t shoot it amazing from three, but his ability to get to the rim, get to the paint, create fouls, get to the free throw line, it’s pretty elite and he’s kind of figured it out.
Nikola Jovic could be a good guy for them. That’s another guy along with Highsmith you probably look to make a little bit of a jump, not being a ridiculous scorer or anything, but play more, get more shots, be more of a glue guy.
The question becomes, you got Butler, you got Herro, you got Rozier, then they’re going to surround them with Miami guys. Is the Butler-Rozier-Herro tandem enough to surround with the good role players to carry them? Bam Adebayo is legit, but he’s not a true scorer. The size scares me a little, too. Adebayo is awesome but after that, who do they got?
Charlotte Hornets
I don’t think LaMelo Ball can be a franchise point guard. Defensively, he’s a complete liability, and then offensively, there’s no consistency to his game. He seems kind of lost between should he be a true playmaking point guard or should he just be a volume-scoring guard? Just seems like he’s constantly trying to make razzle-dazzle plays and then he can’t defend on the defensive end. And can he stay healthy?
Brandon Miller looks like he’s going to be really good. He’s got the potential to be a real star. Everything you hear is that his work ethic is phenomenal. I like his length. He’s going to give you effort on the defensive end. He can shoot it very well. He’s capable of creating his own shot. He has a chance to become a rising star in the league.
Grant Williams, he’s got to shake this reputation that he is really annoying, but Williams is actually pretty good. Versatile defender, can make threes. Miles Bridges, before the off-the-court stuff [domestic violence suspension], he developed a nice little niche as a point forward, ballhandling wing. Even though he couldn’t shoot it amazing, he’s lefty, unorthodox, can create his own shot. He’s like a bowling ball, you screen guards onto him and it creates mismatches and it creates indecision. Defensively, he was O.K., but then he took a step back after he came back. If he can come back to finding what he was when James Borrego was coaching him, he’s a real pain in the ass in a good way.
Washington Wizards
It’s a weird mix in Washington. They got a bunch of players on two different timelines. Kyle Kuzma ideally is a second or third scorer on a really good team. He could put somebody over the edge. If he’s relied upon to do a little more than that, you’re going to get what you get from him. When he’s the third guy on your team and you’re really good, he can score it. He’s not a complete liability defensively. He’s got good size. He can be a pain in the ass to guard. He can create off the dribble and space the floor. I don’t think he’s suited to be the No. 1 scoring option.
When Malcolm Brogdon’s healthy, he is an absolute beast. He was solid in Indiana. He proved it in Boston. He’s a scoring point guard that’s very hard to guard.
Jordan Poole’s best role is as a sixth man. He should be bringing scoring off the bench or be a third scorer on a good team who’s relied upon to space the floor, create a shot when there’s an issue and you run a little stuff for him. Being the go-to guy is not for him. Being the volume guy is not for him. He got his opportunity to do that. He failed. He’s got to evolve into something else.
Bilal Coulibaly showed some promise. Long, young, intriguing wing that just looks like a type of guy that is so young you can’t really see exactly what he’s going to be, but you can see there’s a real potential there. Corey Kispert can shoot it. I’d like to see them give him a lot of minutes, see what he can do. How many minutes are these young guys going to get when there are veterans ahead of them?
Signing Jonas Valanciunas just seems like a weird piece for a team that’s developing. He was a little bit of a liability last year for New Orleans. Maybe you want a traditional five as you developed some guys.
Atlanta Hawks
Blowing up the Dejounte Murray-Trae Young backcourt was the right call. They were two guys that needed the ball in their hands to score. Murray was very comfortable running a team, and that’s kind of an impossible task with Young. That’s no knock against him, but Young’s got to run your team. There was a little bit of overlap there, even though one was a little more of a shooter and the other was a little more of a slasher. It just didn’t seem like the greatest combo as far as the percentage the ball needs to be in certain people’s hands.
Young, I think he’s proven he is not the franchise guy. He’s a volume scorer that can be really potent. At the end of the day, can he do enough alone to beat you? Not consistently. If you let him beat you, is he a good enough playmaker? Of course he’s great at throwing lobs. He’s great at playing in the pick-and-roll, but does he want to play that way is a real question. Defensively, he is a complete liability.
Jalen Johnson is very good. Obviously, super young still, but a versatile wing that can shoot it, that can drive it, that can play positionless basketball. For a small-ball five, even play at the three a little. Defensively didn’t seem too bad. He’s intriguing.
Clint Capela is that rim-protecting, rolling five. If you’re going to keep Young, Young is best suited to have a guy like Capela around. You get a dilemma when you go over on Young, because going over on Young means you potentially are opening up the roll for Capela. No matter what, you need a rim protector. He’s been pretty good at that. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a really good, really smooth player, can get into sets. But just another guy marked by inconsistency over the years because it seems like he’ll roll his ankle once every two weeks.
How They’ll Finish
SI predicts how each division will play out in the 2024–25 season.
Orlando Magic
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope adds needed shooting and a veteran presence to the locker room. After getting back to the playoffs last season, this could be the year the Paolo Banchero-led Magic bust out.
Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler is in a contract year, Caleb Martin is gone. The Heat have overcome a lot in the Erik Spoelstra era, but Miami will need big stepups from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic to avoid the play-in.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets haven’t made the postseason since 2016, but with a healthy LaMelo Ball and growth from second-year swingman Brandon Miller, they could at least make a run at a play-in spot.
Atlanta Hawks
Trading away Dejounte Murray ended a two-year backcourt experiment— and signaled the start of a rebuild. Is Trae Young the next to go? Jalen Johnson and No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher are the future in Atlanta.
Washington Wizards
Is Jordan Poole a starter? A sixth man? An overpaid gunner? After having endured a disastrous first season of his four-year, $128 million contract extension, the rebuilding Wizards need to find out.
—Chris Mannix
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2024–25 NBA Scouting Report: Southeast Division.
