Orlando Magic: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season

2. The Magic’s defensive play

Last season saw the Orlando Magic build their identity around being a potentially great defensive outfit. They finished the regular season eighth with a rating of 107.6.

This year is about continuing to turn that potential into actual improvement and aiming to be a top-five organization in this area should be the goal.

We already know that Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac will help in this regard and even Nikola Vucevic has become an average defender while playing in the system of coach Steve Clifford.

The second unit may be what swings it for the Magic however, as they have a number of guys who will make life difficult for opposing benches.

Khem Birch was a revelation last season, while Michael Carter-Williams and his defensive play and long frame where great off the bench at the point guard position. Wesley Iwundu made big improvements, showing he had a place in the rotation.

His defending and improving 3-point shot will again catch other teams unaware throughout the season.

New addition Al-Farouq Aminu could be the individual who really swings their second unit production however. Fresh off starting for the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, he will bring another level of experience and defensive awareness to the unit.

Adding him is a danger in that he could take some minutes away from Gordon.

But the goal now is to just be a better team, and if that means playing veterans more in order to win games, then so be it.

Gordon should show that he is good enough to get the bulk of the playing time regardless of the addition of Aminu and in an ideal world he will slide onto the second unit to make it even more fearsome.