Orlando Magic: 3 ways to build on playoff appearance in 2019-20

3. Lean into their continuity

One of the main knocks on the Magic during their rebuild was how they seemed to give up on players and coaches before they had a chance to see the best of them. Guys like Oladipo, Tobias Harris and even Elfrid Payton were moved before even getting close to their primes.

It was the same with their head coaching situation, as players came back each fall usually not knowing what to expect from whoever was in charge. Previous head coach Frank Vogel was canned after two seasons, and although that was widely seen as the right call at the time, he has recently found his way back to the league with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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He clearly still has some worth around the league, with the Magic acting as a place where we never got to see the best of Vogel, as well as countless others. This has now changed dramatically, with current head coach Steve Clifford returning for his second year in charge. More than that though, the rapid improvements he instilled last season mean he is likely to be at the helm for some time.

This is important for young players who are constantly improving, such as Aaron Gordon. He now has somebody who he can be sure will be in position as the organization ascends, something that was certainly not the case before. On top of this, the current crop of Magic draft picks don’t look likely to be flipped anytime soon either.

Jonathan Isaac is emerging as the one truly untouchable player on the roster, as his second campaign showed immense promise. Mohamed Bamba will also be back next season, and the rookie year center should be a great fit alongside what is already in place to grow together. Even Markelle Fultz, a former first overall pick who has yet to suit up for the Magic, figures to be given a chance.

So while other organizations scramble to put a product together over the summer, the Magic are in the enviable position of already knowing who they are. All-Star center Nikola Vucevic may walk as an unrestricted free agent. So too could Terrence Ross. There are also definitely going to be new faces around next season too.

But the core of coach Clifford, Gordon, Isaac, Bamba and Fultz, not to mention Evan Fournier, D.J. Augustin and Wesley Iwundu, all figure to return. This makes continuity their ally as they look to build on this season, something which seemed unthinkable as recently as 12 months ago.