Orlando Magic: Revisiting the decade that was the 2010s

2017-18

Hennigan was finally fired in April of 2017, allowing new general manager Jeff Weltman (and new President of basketball operations John Hammond) to have a full summer to try and get the flailing Magic back on track. They started well, by taking Jonathan Isaac with the sixth pick and Wesley Iwundu in the second round.

They stuck with Vogel, and even though they went 25-57 on the season, fans were more understanding of the fact that this was the second attempt at trying to rebuild the franchise properly. Fournier’s brand of offensive play continued to be divisive, and so too was Vucevic’s consistent ability to put up big numbers but not lead his team to wins.

Vooch had become the Magic’s best player by this point, but Vogel was unable to unlock his true potential. In his defense having to accommodate Biyombo as well was an impossible task. Afflalo came back for 53 games on a lap of honor before bowing out of the league altogether, while the front office made a wise decision in bringing undrafted big man Khem Birch on board.

He would spend time in the newly named G League, and so too would Isaac. An ankle injury would limit him to only 27 games, but this was in some ways a blessing in disguise, with coach Vogel not knowing how best to play both him and Gordon together. Alongside the Vucevic/Biyombo dilemma, and Ibaka still hanging around, it made for a crowded frontcourt where there were not enough minutes to go around.

Their guard rotation had the opposite problem, where Payton was coming to the end of the road with the Magic. By year’s end, Shelvin Mack led the team in assists, leading to one of the more infamously viral moments in Magic history.

The front office continued to make the best of a bad situation though, in signing Jonathon Simmons to a three year, $20 million deal after some gritty performances for the San Antonio Spurs in the postseason.

They also smartly traded for swingman Terrence Ross before the deadline, getting rid of Ibaka in the process. This freed up some space in the frontcourt for younger guys like Gordon and Isaac to operate while also addressing their desperate need for more scoring. Ross was a ready-made threat off the bench as an ideal sixth man, and he took to his role immediately.

With the help of Ross for the final portion of the season, the Magic still could only manage to finish 25th in offensive rating (104.7). Only marginally better than the 103.8 of the previous season (28th).

Still, the decluttering had properly begun and the organization had a clear vision that would carry over into the next year. Draft long and defensive-minded bigs to pair with the scorers they were trading for and that were growing within.