OPP Over/Under: 2021 Orlando Magic player props (Second trimester review)

It’s hard to believe that we have arrived already two-thirds of the way through the 2021-22 season, but here we are Magic fans.

Back in October, I posted for the Orlando Pinstriped Post Community some Orlando Magic related prop bets to track as the current season plays out. The present seems like as good of a time as any to check-in on the progress of everyone’s predictions - now 57 games into the schedule.

Below, you will find the same prop bets from earlier in the year divided into four categories: props that have already been decided (either: 1) through the first trimester of the season, or 2) more recently), props that are looking good so far (to hit the ‘over’), and props that still are to be determined.

Make sure to follow along with our community, especially if you were one of the few who put yourself out there and made some predictions. We can revisit all of these props again at the end of the season.

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Props that were decided after just the first trimester of the season

Wendell Carter Jr.
Over/Under - 99.5 three-point field goal attempts (season total)

Carter Jr.’s three-point field goal attempt prop easily cleared through just the first 25 games of the season. Fast forward a couple of months, and the fourth-year big man has now attempted 176 shots beyond the arc (3.6 attempts per game). Incredibly, the Atlanta-native has already attempted 64 more attempts this season than he launched over the previous first three seasons of his career combined (112 career three-point attempts from 2018-2021 coming into this season). The next step for Carter Jr. is to start knocking-down these attempts at a higher clip (31.8 percent in 2021-22, career 28.8 percent on three-point attempts). But for now, it’s important that he’s just attempting these shots.

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Cole Anthony
Over/Under - 8.5 times Cole Anthony scores 20 or more points in a game (season total)

Anthony had already easily cleared the ‘over’ on this prop through Orlando’s first trimester of the 2021-22 season, scoring 20 or more points in a game in 11 of his first 20 games of the season. His play has slowed down a good bit since December, when Anthony was looking like an obvious choice for NBA Most Improved Player consideration. Still, the second year guard has cleared the 20-point mark in 18 games this season, scoring 30 or more points in a game three times (last such game: December 8th, 2021).

Props that have now been decided through the second trimester of the season

Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner
Over/Under - 199.5 total minutes the Wagner brothers share the floor together (season total)

According to NBA.com, the Wagner brothers have shared the floor for 206 minutes in 37 games so far in 2021-22. Incredibly, the natives of Germany had played 103 minutes together through the first trimester of the season, exactly the same amount of time they shared on the floor through the second trimester of the 2021-22 schedule. When the Wagner brothers share the floor, the Magic lineup combinations (along with those two) have produced a net rating of -6.7.

Jonathan Isaac & Markelle Fultz
Over/Under - 82.5 combined games played (season total)

This prop is officially over, the ‘under’ 82.5 combined games played by Isaac and Fultz this season comfortably clears. With just 24 games remaining on the schedule for the Magic, even if both players came back tomorrow, it wouldn’t make a difference with this prop. And let’s be honest, neither of these two are coming back tomorrow. I do think Fultz will return to the court first, and that could potentially come after the All-Star break (Orlando has a three-game homestand from February 25th through March 2nd coming out of the break). As for Isaac, who really knows?

Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images

Michael Carter-Williams, Gary Harris, Robin Lopez, E’Twaun Moore, and Terrence Ross

Over/Under - 3.5 players in veteran group remaining on Orlando’s roster by March 1st, 2022

Here’s another prop that was just recently decided, with the NBA’s Trade Deadline passing this past Thursday. The Magic did not make a significant move, deciding instead to hold onto veterans Terrence Ross (under contract next season), Gary Harris (unrestricted free agent this summer), and Robin Lopez (unrestricted free agent) for the moment. It remains to be determined whether Orlando will consider a buyout with either Harris or Lopez, allowing them to potentially latch-on with a contending team for the rest of this season. Either way, the ‘under’ clears on this prop with veteran guards Michael Carter-Williams and E’Twaun Moore being waived by the Magic, bringing the remaining number of players from this group to three. Neither Carter-Williams (ankle) nor Moore (knee) had participated in a game for Orlando this season.

R.J. Hampton
Over/Under - 39.5 times R.J. Hampton scores 10 or more points in a game (season total)

Man, I took a big loss with this prop. Actually, I thought I was being a little more on the conservative side simply setting this prop at 39.5 times Hampton would score in double-digits in a game. But as it turns out, the ‘under’ clears here with very little drama. Hampton suffered an MCL injury to his left knee in mid-January, and thus has missed Orlando’s last 12 games. Still, Hampton only scored 10 or more points in 10 of 42 games prior to his injury. His shooting from distance has improved this season (31.0 percent as a rookie, 36.4 percent in 2021-22), but his finishing at the rim as fallen off a cliff (66.2 percent as a rookie, 50.7 percent this season). Hampton will be back before season’s end, and we know he can put up numbers when given opportunities in late season games (named Rookie of the Month in April of 2021), But for this prop, he has run out of time.

Which props are looking good?

Mo Bamba
Over/Under - 19.5 minutes per game

If you took the ‘over’ on Bamba’s 19.5 minutes per game prop, things are still looking good for you. There were some murmurs and conversations among Magic fans that Bamba could have been a candidate to be moved at the trade deadline this past week, but the former sixth overall pick by Orlando in ‘18 is still with the team. The fourth-year center has started 45 games for the Magic this season, compared to just six starts through the first three seasons of his career. His minutes have slowly been dropping as the season carries on (32.0 MPG in October, 28.9 MPG in November, 24.3 MPG in December, 23.4 MPG in January, 22.4 MPG in February), but he still should comfortably clear the ‘over’ here (26.3 minutes per game on the season).

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Team Prop
Over/Under - 21.5 total team assists per game

The ‘over’ is starting to look better and better with this prop. Through the first trimester of the season, Orlando was averaging 22.0 assists per game. But since the beginning of January, the ball has started to move just a little bit more on offense. The Magic now rank 22nd in the league in team assists per game, producing 23.2 assists per game. The return of Jalen Suggs to the lineup has definitely helped, and Fultz might be on the way at some point as well (which in theory, would only continue to improve the playmaking and ball movement on offense for Orlando).

Props that are still to be decided...

Chuma Okeke
Over/Under - 36 percent on three-point field goal attempts

This prop is looking a little better than it was through the first trimester of the season, if you took the ‘over’ that is. After missing training camp, the preseason, and the first week of the season, Okeke was cold shooting from distance through the first trimester of the season (24.0 percent three-point shooting in November, 23.2 percent in December). But he has found his stroke as the calendar has turned, shooting 38.2 percent in January (5.8 attempts from beyond the arc), and 38.9 percent through seven games in February. Look, the ‘under’ still looks good here - Okeke is only shooting 31.1 percent overall on three-point attempts for the season. But I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that he’s been a lot better over the last seven weeks or so.

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Jalen Suggs
Over/Under - 2.5 place finish in NBA Rookie of the Year voting (under= 1st or 2nd place finish, over=3rd place finish or lower)

The over will ultimately hit with this prop, and that’s not necessarily an indictment of the way Suggs has played. In fact, Suggs just played the best game of his career to date last night against the Phoenix Suns (20 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds). Since returning from a thumb injury that cost him six weeks (November 30th-January 13th), Suggs has averaged 12.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals (41.6 FG%, 21.2 3PT%). There’s obviously room for improvement there, but Suggs has held his own over his rookie season matching-up against the best lead guards in the league. But this rookie class is just too strong for Suggs to make much noise in the Rookie of the Year conversation. His fellow Orlando rookie - F. Wagner - will be in the conversation, but I still think the award is Evan Mobley’s to lose.

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Here was the first trimester player prop review.

Aaron Goldstone has been writing for Orlando Pinstriped Post since 2017. You can follow him on Twitter at @AaronGoldstone.