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Orlando Magic: 5 Reasons To Be Optimistic About The Future

By Luke Duffy

Mar 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) and guard Victor Oladipo (5) high five after he made a basket in the act of getting fouled against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Amway Center. Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 95-83. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) and guard Victor Oladipo (5) high five after he made a basket in the act of getting fouled against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Amway Center. Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 95-83. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 6, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Dewayne Dedmon (3) and guard Victor Oladipo (5) and guard Elfrid Payton (4) celebrate a late lead during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings at Amway Center. The Magic won 119-114. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Dewayne Dedmon (3) and guard Victor Oladipo (5) and guard Elfrid Payton (4) celebrate a late lead during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings at Amway Center. The Magic won 119-114. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

4. This Team Is A Defense-First Unit

Thanks to the work of interim head coach James Borrego, this is a team that now has an identity, and it’s one that’s been pretty obvious for a while now. The Magic are a defense-first team now, trying to define the art of getting stops primarily, before hurting the other team with it’s own offense. Despite this being a lost season as well, the team still plays hard on that end.

As mentioned above, both Oladipo and Payton will both one day probably be elite defenders as well.

But it goes beyond just their two guards. In Dewayne Dedmon, a guy who is beginning to have more of an impact on this team, they have another defensive specialist. In fact, he leads this team in blocks per game (0.9), as well as defensive real plus/minus (2.37, good for squeaking into the top 40 players in the league in that category).

Kyle O’Quinn, while a little undersized, is arguably the best rim protector on this team, meaning certain Magic lineups can give opponents a terrible time. Going forward this will be what they do, and it’s great to see it slowly coming together now.

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