The Magic began the 2019-20 season in one of the most ominous conditions in all of pro sports: mediocrity. This unfortunate state was epitomized by Dwyane Wade‘s now-infamous grade of “9/10” at this year’s dunk contest. The Orlando Magic enter the bubble with a firm grip on the eighth seed in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.
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Dwyane Wade just didn’t think Aaron Gordon deserved a 10. ? ? https://t.co/eWdLUOUrVg pic.twitter.com/KLxtn0BljF
— theScore (@theScore) April 18, 2020
Has Anything Changed?
Now that my “9/10” joke is out of the way, let’s discuss the on-court product. This team is eerily similar to the one that lost four straight games to the Raptors last spring; they still lack a dominant offensive player. Nikola Vučević is a good second option for a contending team, but he cannot be depended on for 20 a night, let alone 25 or 30. The previously alluded to Aaron Gordon seems to be running out of chances to breakout. Dunk contests don’t fill up the win column. He must add some dimensions to his game to pair with his freakish athleticism.
It’s no secret that in any sport, being in the middle of the standings is often worse than bottoming out. This can ring especially true for small-market NBA teams. Ever since LeBron’s earth-shattering decision 10 years ago, free agency has become the priority of executives across the board. Unless you have an exceptional eye for talent, like Toronto’s Masai Ujiri, you must be acquiring flashy talent through free agency or the draft. Does this mean it could be time to pull the plug? Or should they pursue a certain unibrow in free agency? If the Magic flop, then these questions might answer themselves.
Orlando State of Mind
Of any team seeded seventh or lower in either conference, this team is the most intriguing. Obviously, they will be the closest thing to a home team in this entire mess of a tournament. Although they will have none of the same privileges that come with traditional home-court advantage, why wouldn’t they feel a tiny bit more comfortable than a Lakers team 2200 miles from home? There won’t be any crowd energy to feed off of or even the comfort of their own bed to help recharge their batteries, but there is an indisputable convenience that comes with being close to home.
Hope and Optimism
It’s unfair to dismiss the fact that Orlando has three lottery picks on their roster under the age of 22. Jonathan Isaac is my favorite of the bunch. The Florida State product is raw and oozes potential. If teams respect his shooting ability a little more, he will feast on inferior athletes around the rim. Think Pascal Siakam or Brandon Ingram.
Markelle Fultz is a conundrum. Although his 2017 draft class produced some studs, he and second overall pick Lonzo Ball have yet to cause any issues for opposing defenses. He’s played fine enough in Orlando to lift himself out of Kwame Brown-like levels of ineptitude for high picks, but a first overall pick simply cannot have a career without an All-Star appearance. Fultz has promise, as evidenced by the trust that the 76ers put in him on draft night, but injuries and shooting… problems, have complicated his path to becoming an NBA difference-maker.
The last of these blue-chippers is Mo Bamba. Despite having one of the catchier songs of the decade written for him, he’s yet to prove himself worthy to his own coach’s confidence. He averaged 14 minutes per game before the season went on pause. Nonetheless, his efficiency and rebounding are solid enough that he may be in a position to impact games if he saw more playing time.
If one or more of these youngsters can reach their full potential soon, or completely ball out in July and August, expect bright things in the future.
Rounding Out the Roster
A staple of this Magic team, and a crucial part of the ever so important “team identity” is the unspectacular yet stellar play from their guard rotation. Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross log big minutes and the defensive aspects of their games are underrated. D.J. Augustin dropped 30 against Toronto in a playoff game last year, which doesn’t prove much but is still worth mentioning. Overall though, this bench doesn’t do much to help Orlando’s cause. None of these guys will win Sixth Man any time soon, and some are defensive liabilities.
My Expectations
This team flat out is not good enough to beat the Bucks, Raptors, or Celtics. Not even Mickey Mouse of Orlando’s own Universal Studios would tell you otherwise. In the absolute best-case scenario, the Orlando Magic exit the bubble winning five of the eight games listed below. If Joel Embiid is nowhere to be found, as he has a tendency to do sometimes, hell, why not push for six.
With the Bradley Beal-less Washington Wizards being the only Eastern team seeded lower than the Magic, there is no way that they miss out on the playoffs. All I hope for from the Orlando Magic in this bubble is that they prove this core is worth keeping around. Oh, and as I not-so-sneakily referred to earlier, Anthony Davis would solve all of their problems.
