Orlando Magic: Biggest strengths and weaknesses for 2017-18
By Luke Duffy
Weakness No. 3: Unsure which direction they’re going
Even though this team is as good as it’s been at any point in the last half-decade, do we still really know what direction it’s going in?
You would have to assume the Magic are attempting to make the playoffs with the moves they made, but it is still unclear if they’re good enough to make it.
On top of that, if they start the season poorly, at what point do they turn this thing over to Isaac, lose a lot of games and try and nab another high lottery pick?
Orlando Magic
After all, the current front office only had this past summer to make draft decisions, and they did well given the position they were in.
If the Magic were able to have another year with the team and then draft somebody, you’d have to think they’d do better than former general manager Rob Hennigan did.
If they start the season well, do they try and make a trade to get better right away and maybe chase the 7- or 8-seed?
Would this involve giving up Ross or Vucevic? Or do they go the other way and trade away some of the veterans who could land on contending teams to reboot the rebuild once more?
Maybe a strong regular season showing would get them some meetings with key free agents next summer, even if the banana boat boys looked primed to possibly play together.
There are plenty of ways this team could go, and while on the one hand that is exciting, it also goes to show that they are not where they’d like to be yet either.
Next: 2017-18 Week 1 NBA Power Rankings
With the Magic still searching for the path back to relevance, it’s a cautious reminder to quell that optimism before the 2017-18 season has even tipped off.