3 reasons Orlando Magic will make the 2019 NBA Playoffs

1. Shock factor

In a league where every team has multiple video coordinators, team and player scouts, two rows of assistant coaches and other personnel whose jobs it is to make sure their team is prepared for their next opponent, the Magic will still fly under the radar.

A new coach and a new scheme obviously helps. So, does the potential flexibility in rotations the Magic can put out there.

What can really help the Magic however, is what hurt them last year. Many teams did not get to play against Jonathan Isaac or Terrence Ross or an improved Aaron Gordon or Evan Fournier last year due to the litany of injuries incurred. Seeing these players for the first time, as well as guys like Mo Bamba, Jarrell Martin, Wesley Iwundu, Jerian Grant, Melvin Frazier Jr. and more, could lead to a shock factor for opponents.

Have teams ever seen a squad like this year’s Magic lineup? At any given point, the Magic could have up to 35 feet of wingspan on the court at the same time. That’s 3 ½ baskets! If you push an all-defense lineup of Grant, Iwundu, Gordon, Isaac and Bamba that’s a ridiculous amount of wingspan and could cause big problems for other team’s guards trying to pass the ball around the court.

Teams have also not seen Isaac’s growth yet. If he can become the scorer that media and fans are expecting him to this season, this adds another wrinkle into a team that no one has seen at full strength since October of 2017.

Even when teams do their homework, it will hard to pinpoint exactly what the Magic are and how to gameplan for both ends of the floor. This shock factor of new coach and schemes, new players and players returning from injuries could bring some wins Orlando’s way this season.