The Orlando Magic had the offseason that many of their fans expected. Here are the 3 big questions facing them ahead of next season.
A lot can change in the space of a year, and for the Orlando Magic, this statement is especially true. At this stage last summer they still looked to be in the midst of a rebuild, with a new head coach in Steve Clifford and plenty of question marks surrounding the makeup and ability of their young core.
Fast forward 12 months and the Magic are coming off of a 42-40 season, a southeast division title and their first appearance in the postseason for seven years. They are finally starting to see their lengthy rebuild pay off, and this coming season they look set to compete for a playoff spot once again.
Things are looking up, but it is also fair to say that several other teams strengthened significantly and that the reality is the Magic are not much closer to being real contenders. This is reflected in the national media, where they continue to be overlooked despite having the kind of offseason that they were supposed to.
There will be higher expectations this season, as the more casual fanbase continue to drift back towards an organization that has had little to be excited about for most of the decade. The offseason acquisition of Al-Farouq Aminu and the drafting of Chuma Okeke doing little to change that.
With Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross both returning as well, the Magic are running it back to see if they can take the next step forward from within. With most of their money being committed to what they have put in place, there are still plenty of question marks surrounding the group. Here are the big three heading into the new season.