Orlando Magic: Back To Reality
By Luke Duffy
During the long basketball-less days of summer, so many things were written about every team, it was hard not to get caught up in some of what was said. The Miami Heat were going to be pretty bad, and teams like the Sacramento Kings would once again struggle.
Even though the season is pretty much a week old and things will change once more, we know now not to believe all that we see. Which brings us to the Orlando Magic, and their 0-3 start to the year to date. Somewhat expected, although ultimately still a bit disappointing.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s about to get a whole lot better either.
As somebody who writes about basketball, I try to remain as impartial as possible to all that happens around the league, especially when the Orlando Magic are concerned.
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However, the fan in me wanted to believe that this team could be some sort of less offensively impressive Eastern Conference version of the Phoenix Suns last year in 2014-15. There was a mix of exciting youth, returning building blocks and veteran pickups that had the potential to blend together nicely.
I even wrote a couple of pieces with my optimistic cap on, with a small part of me thinking that yeah, this could be a roster that at the very least troubled some of the better teams in the league.
To be fair, that did kind of happen as well. The Magic began their season away to the New Orleans Pelicans and played well for two and a half quarters, before Anthony Davis reminded us all that’s he’s not the next big thing, he’s the big thing of right now.
This piece isn’t going to break down in great detail the other two losses either, all that you need to know is that the L in NOLA was followed by two more against the Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors.
So here we are, sat at 0-3 and with a difficult game against the Chicago Bulls next on the schedule. Part of me is a little disappointed, but the realist in me knew this was probably coming.
You see center Nikola Vucevic being a beast every time he steps on the floor with his almost guaranteed double-doubles and you try to remember that this is a long-term thing.
Certainly, this is the best product Orlando has out on the court since Dwight Howard was wearing their jersey, so there’s no doubt the franchise is going in the right direction. Tying Vucevic down to that long term deal was a crucial bit of business as well.
But losing often takes a toll on even the most casual of fans. So much so, that the Magic’s upcoming game with the Philadelphia 76ers is already looking like it will be a hugely important game. Assuming they lose to Chicago, Orlando will really need to get the monkey off their backs, and a victory against Philly would be the perfect tonic.
The game is also in the 76er’s building as well. When you consider the Magic won four games away from home all of last season, it just adds another layer of urgency in picking up not only a win, but a road win at that.
This is what the season has come down to already, looking for easy matches in the schedule and circling them as must wins. Certainly there is just so much time to turn things around here and get a nice little win streak going. But we must also remember this is not a particularly deep team, and already that has been exposed.
Face of the franchise sophomore guard Victor Oladipo is yet to play a meaningful game this season with what was initially a sprained knee, that then morphed into a facial injury. The best veteran signing of the summer, Channing Frye, has suited up but is still a little rusty from his time on the treatment table time it seems.
This post isn’t meant to get you down though, it’s just more of a reality check. When you look at the roster the Magic have and compare it with the others in this league, it’s not entirely surprising the team is yet to win a game. The somewhat difficult slate of games to kick off this year haven’t helped the cause either.
Luckily all is not lost, and there have been some bright spots to move forward with.
Orlando has hung tough in each of it’s losses so far, and that is something that will probably happen a lot this year. They just don’t have the depth of talent to get over the hump it seems, and this is normal of rosters that are yet to have that player who can make the playoffs a realistic target.
Rookie point guard Elfrid Payton has been brilliant as well, and is surely one of the key building blocks for this team for the future.
His mix of tremendous passing, great handle and ability to get to the rim at ease means he has really shone while sharing a court with some elite point guards in his first three games. His defense is passable for now and figures to only improve as his knowledge for the professional game goes up, but his jump shot needs considerable work.
Regardless though, it’s great to have him in a Magic uniform. As for head coach Jacque Vaughn? Well, we’ll be returning to him soon, but it’s fair to say if this keeps up, he’ll be the first to fall.
So, there you have it. A brief overview of the young season so far, and why it’s perfectly acceptable for the Magic to be where they are. Sure, it’s a little disappointing even to the realists, but it is what it is, and really we shouldn’t be too surprised.
This team always figured to hit the lottery again this year anyway, it just doesn’t make it any easier to watch happen in front of us.