Orlando Magic: One Week Wiser

The Orlando Magic are now four games into their eighty-two game regular season schedule. After dropping their first two matches they played, to the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Magic responded well with two wins. Even better, those two victories came against teams that probably both have playoff aspirations in the form of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Brooklyn Nets. Their performances have been slow and steady, and have attracted little attention, exactly what management would have wanted. With that in mind, it is worth looking at the positives and negatives the team can take away going forward.

Perhaps rather surprisingly, there were quite a few positives to take from week one. This is not a league of what ifs, but Arron Afflalo was one failed jumper away from beating the Timberwolves in their second game of the season and swelling their record to 3-1. Better still, you could hardly argue they didn’t deserve it wither. Other uplifting moments came in the form of how athletic this team can be when it gets out on the floor. The young guns on this team have no problem throwing their bodies around, and against a more mature team like the Nets, this was pretty evident. There is a desire and a willingness to not settle for being an afterthought this season, and it is admirable. Quite how much longer it lasts remains to be seen however. Also worth noting was the defensive stops the Magic got in every game they have played thus far, they are playing a brand of tough basketball, and the fans will have appreciated that. They’re hardly the Indiana Pacers, the best defensive team in the league so far, but all signs will have been encouraging.

looks like the real deal. (NBA.com photo)

Probably the most exciting part of how Orlando has started has been the play of Victor Oladipo. He’s quick, he’s fearless, and he generally makes the right decision on the court. The NBA games takes time to get used to, but he seems to have adapted extremely well. His 360 degree breakaway dunk against the Nets will have done his confidence the world of good also. Better yet, while his performances deserve to garner a lot of attention, fans and media alike have overlooked his play, and this can only be good for his development early on. Thanks to the explosion of Michael Carter-Williams, who deserves a mention and immense credit for the way he has started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Oladipo’s play has gone somewhat under the radar. This is great for the Magic, it allows their player to grow at his own pace, while also not letting the hype of his game overshadow his actual game. More than that it will probably lead to him developing a chip on his shoulder and strive to be talked about the way Carter-Williams has been early on.

Of course there are negatives too, putting the ball in the hole has been an issue at times, but there is one elephant in the room that goes beyond all of the statistics. It has been mentioned here before, and you can bet it will creep up again given how the Magic are currently playing, but they seem quite good. Their rebuilding process is further along than most would have predicted, so what exactly is going to happen this season? They were supposed to be bad, and in turn get a high draft pick and really kick on next season with more explosive young talent on the roster. But they just aren’t that bad, and with teams such as the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers off to stuttering starts themselves, the Magic may find themselves higher up the pecking order given their talent just because they can play.

The one certain we do know right now, is that this team is slowly gelling and figuring out their identity as a team, all while getting one week wiser. There will be complications, like what to do with Glen Davis upon his return from injury, but as of right now, Magic fans will be happy with the start to the season they have seen. Offense and defense can be learned in practice, but this team seems to have the heart you can’t teach to build on this start they have made. It will be interesting to see where they are in a couple of months time.

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