The Atlanta Hawks will try to pick up where they left off last season when they travel to Orlando for the season opener Wednesday, while the Magic are looking for a fresh start under a new coach.
The Hawks were one of the hottest teams in the second half, winning 19 of their last 24 games to finish 46-36 atop the Southeastern Division. Atlanta pushed the New York Knicks to six games in the first round, something no other playoff foe was able to do against the eventual NBA champions.
The Magic have a new coach in Sean Sweeney, replacing Jamahl Mosley, who took the team to the playoffs in the last three seasons of his five-year run. The roster remains virtually the same as the one that went 45-37 and fought its way through the Play-In Tournament before relinquishing a 3-1 lead and losing to Detroit in the first round of the playoffs.
Atlanta swept the four-game season series against Orlando last season, winning by an average of 15 points.
Atlanta shipped star guard Trae Young to Washington at last season’s trade deadline and put its faith in Jalen Johnson to be the face of the team. Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists and was named to his first All-Star team.
“I think leadership is something the team wants to see and one I want to do,” Johnson said. “I want to be one of those guys they can call aside from basketball and have that type of impact with my teammates and have that type of relationship with me.”
The other discovery from last season was Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who averaged 20.8 points. Alexander-Walker, formerly a role player with Minnesota who averaged 9.4 points in 2024-25, was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
Atlanta retained veteran CJ McCollum, who averaged 18.7 points in 41 games after coming over in the Young trade.Dyson Daniels (11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists) will join newcomer Luguentz Dort, acquired along with Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City, to provide more toughness and defense to the backcourt. First-round draft choice Kingston Flemings could see significant minutes at point guard.
Orlando continues to be led by Desmond Bane and Paolo Banchero.
Bane was the team’s MVP last year when he played in all 82 games and averaged 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Banchero averaged 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 72 games.
“Last season was disappointing, but the good thing is that it’s over and we’ve got a new staff, new energy in the building,” Banchero said. “I think everybody is excited. I think last season fueled everybody to meet the goals we’ve established.”
Franz Wagner averaged 20.6 ppg but played only 34 games because of various injuries. Other key returners are Wendell Carter Jr. (11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds), Anthony Black (15.0 points), Jalen Suggs (13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds) and Tristan da Silva (9.9 points).
The biggest roster addition is Nikola Vucevic, who averaged 17.8 ppg in parts of nine seasons with the Magic. He spent the final part of 2025-26 with Boston before signing a one-year free-agent deal to rejoin Orlando.
