Orlando Magic: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

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(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Draft picks starting to step up meaningfully

The Magic had gone some time without seeing a draft pick become a key contributor for the team, and it was made even worse by the fact that former second overall pick Victor Oladipo went on to become an All-Star after being traded (twice).

So to see Isaac take his first significant step forward this season was a great sign for the state of the franchise. They needed a lottery pick to begin his ascension, and Isaac provided that. He acted as a spark when the Magic were 11 games below .500 to bring them right back into the playoff picture.

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His offensive game improved noticeably, with the corner 3-point shot becoming something of a go-to look for him. Defensively, the Magic had a better rating when Isaac was on the court (106.6) than they did on the season as a whole (107.5, eighth in the league). It wasn’t just Isaac who improved, however.

The Magic haven’t gotten much use out of their second round picks in recent years, but second year wing Wesley Iwundu changed that in 2018-19. Under coach Clifford, who himself loves individuals who play hard and give their all for the team, Iwundu found a role as somebody who could do a bit of everything.

He began the season well, starting 13 of the 68 games he appeared in, before nearly dropping out of the rotation altogether before the turn of the year. From there he worked his way back in, becoming a consistent presence on both ends off the bench.

Iwundu finished the regular season with a 3-point percentage of 36.7 percent. To put that into some context, that number was 19.6 percent during his rookie year. The Magic also had a great defensive rating of 102.4 when he was on the court, making Iwundu’s development as a legitimate 3-and-D player one of the better stories of the year for the Magic.

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