Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. believes new head coach Sean Sweeney can help the team develop the habits required to compete for a championship, pointing to the coaching staff’s experience and the players’ willingness to adapt.
Speaking to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Carter expressed confidence in Orlando’s potential ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season. The Magic appointed Sweeney after parting ways with Jamahl Mosley, making the coaching change their most significant move of the offseason.
“The group that we have here, these guys want to win,” Carter told ScoopB.com. “They’re going to do whatever it takes to win, and I think a guy like Coach Sweeney coming from coaching at the highest level, playing for a championship, understanding what it looks like and what it’s not supposed to look like. You mix those two things together, you have a recipe for a chance to shock the world.”
Carter emphasized that having a coach who understands championship-level basketball could help Orlando establish the right standards throughout the roster. He believes the team’s ability to embrace those expectations will determine how far it can go.
“When you have a team who’s willing and able to adapt to what championship habits look like, and then you implement those championship habits, the sky’s the limit,” Carter said.
The Magic enter the season looking to build on a 45-37 campaign that saw them finish eighth in the Eastern Conference. Orlando pushed the top-seeded Detroit Pistons to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, demonstrating its ability to compete with one of the conference’s leading teams.
Despite that showing, the Magic have largely stayed out of the spotlight during the offseason. Carter said he welcomes the underdog label and is confident in Orlando’s chances against any opponent.
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“For sure, for sure,” Carter said when asked whether he likes being overlooked. “But I like being there. You don’t have to think we’re going to be good, you can think that the East is too loaded for us now, but at the end of the day, it’s still five guys on each team who have to lace up and go out there and win the game, and I like us against anyone.”
Carter is entering his eighth NBA season after averaging 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 78 games during the 2025-26 campaign. The 27-year-old started all 78 contests and shot 51.2% from the field, providing a consistent presence alongside Paolo Banchero and the rest of Orlando’s core.
The center also discussed his offseason, which combined training with time spent supporting his girlfriend, Angel Reese, during her WNBA campaign with the Atlanta Dream.
“It’s been good, man,” Carter said. “A lot of hard work, a lot of relaxation, a lot of support for my girl. It’s been a great summer all in all.”
Carter said he worked out with longtime friend Collin Sexton, highlighting the guard’s determination and attention to detail as sources of inspiration. He also spent time on the court with veteran big man Derrick Favors in Atlanta.
“Just his determination, his attention to detail, inspired me,” Carter said of Sexton. “His touch around the rim is still elite,” he added about Favors.
