The Orlando Magic may be coming back to finish out their season and likely make the playoffs, but there’s still a lot that could go wrong in the bubble.
The closer we get to the return of the NBA season, the better things appear to be going for the Orlando Magic as a result of their nearest rivals having problems of their own. The Brooklyn Nets have seen their roster decimated, and have turned to the likes Jamal Crawford to fill out their roster.
The Nets are also without the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie, and with the Magic due to play them twice in the eight seeding games before the postseason begins, this is good news for them. Similarly, the Washington Wizards, who will be hoping to force a couple of play-in games against the Magic, have lost players too.
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The most significant of these clearly being Bradley Beal, while John Wall isn’t close to returning yet either. Davis Bertans is sitting out the restart, which hurts the already limited depth that the Wizards have. All of which is to say, the Magic are benefiting from issues that have hit other organizations.
Point guard Markelle Fultz has still not joined up with the team, however, while an unnamed member of the squad has also tested positive for COVID-19. The majority of the roster is in place and training well together according to head coach Steve Clifford, which is more than can be said for other franchises at the moment.
As we know all too well though, the situation can change in an instant, especially once the games start. The following are three situations that could unfold for the Magic in the bubble that fans really won’t want to see, and which could easily result in their time there being one hit by negativity.
3. Injury to Jonathan Isaac
Jonathan Isaac has not been seen since suffering a bad knee sprain against the Wizards on New Year’s Day. Given how serious the injury looked in the moment, it is a positive that it was nothing worse than a bad sprain. With the games getting closer, Isaac is clearly feeling good and is eager to play if possible. As he told NBA.com recently;
"“I’m optimistic. I have no reservations in my mind about (a potential return). If I’m ready to play and if I get the clearance, I’m ready to go. That’s pretty much where I’m at. We’re taking it day by day. I’m listening to our front office and the guys that are working with me each day to get there. So, I’m just taking it one day at a time. But I feel good. I’m getting there.”"
It makes sense that Isaac would want to come back this season if possible, and it would be a real boost to the Magic if that was the case. But there is zero need to rush him, even if the forced stoppage of the season means that he is naturally a lot closer to being ready to go again than he would have been.
It was presumed he would miss the rest of the season, but once the dates were moved around, Isaac angling to make a return was always a possibility. But there would be nothing worse than getting him back out there, only for him to re-aggravate the knee sprain, or worse yet do something else to his body.
Jonathan Isaac’s ON/OFF in games he played
— Beyond the RK (@beyondtheRK) July 12, 2020
(via PBP Stats, as of 12/31)
with J.I. OFF, The Magic have a -5.94 Net RTG
(637 MIN)
with J.I. ON, The Magic have a +0.41 Net RTG
(947 MIN)
with J.I. and Fultz ON, The Magic have a +1.51 Net RTG
(657 MIN)https://t.co/iuHyCCHg92
Isaac is clearly a cornerstone for the Magic’s future, but after three seasons he has now had two leg injuries that have kept him out in the medium to long term (played only 27 games his rookie campaign, starting 10 of them). Given that he is basically a seven-footer, having this happen a couple of times already when he is only 23 years old means he needs to be monitored.
The Magic may catch the Nets for the seventh seed, setting up a potential playoffs rematch with the Toronto Raptors in the process. Whether it is last year’s opponents or the Milwaukee Bucks, the current top seed, the Magic are unlikely to get beyond the first round of the postseason. With or without Isaac. They should keep this in mind when considering whether to play him or not.
2. Slow start/inconsistencies
If there is one thing that has plagued the Magic for years, no matter how much they have shown improvements, it is a mix between starting games slow, and going through baffling periods of inconsistency. If both come together as they have before, then the organization could be in trouble before they even get going.
Even more worrying is the fact that these slow starts and games where they play well below their best have more often than not come against opponents they should be beating. They can go through periods of heading out West for six-game road trips, going 3-3 and looking like a settled roster that is certain to make the playoffs.
They will then follow this up with a strange loss to the likes of the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers, amongst others, oftentimes coming when they are playing at home as well. While 82 games are plenty of time to absorb a poor loss and every team has them, there simply won’t be enough time down in the bubble for this to be the case.
The Orlando Magic are just as likely to beat the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers (both of whom they will play), as they are to drop two games to the desperately shorthanded Nets. This is simply not an option if they are to catch the Nets for the seventh seed to at least have them avoid the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.
The inconsistencies that sweep across the players need to be kept at bay as well. Although the Magic can border on being an elite defensive team, as they have been since coach Clifford took over, they will then turn in strange performances where they let lesser opponents hang large shorelines on them.
The only positive is that although they are not a great outfit offensively, they are just as likely to have a hot shooting night as they are a poor defensive night. But really after nearly two years of being under the guidance of Clifford, these erratic performances and not knowing what you will get each night need to stop. Failure to control this in the bubble would be catastrophic for them.
1. Poor play from Aaron Gordon
If the Magic as a whole can struggle with inconsistencies, then Aaron Gordon is the very personification of that problem. There is no player on their roster who can go from looking like an All-Star one night to a trade candidate to improve other areas of their team the next. When Gordon is good, he is really good.
Two seasons ago he averaged 17.6 points a night, and although his 3-point shooting percentage of 33.6 percent wasn’t brilliant, it was clear he was becoming more comfortable shooting it from deep. This improved last year as he reached a shade under 35 percent from that area, on 4.4 attempts per game.
This season however the 3-point percentage is down noticeably (30.1 percent), and so too is his scoring (14.4 points). What makes this so frustrating at times is that, if this was who Gordon was, a really good third option on a team, then that would be alright. Not what the Magic would have hoped for when they drafted him in 2014, but at least they would know and could plan accordingly.
But just when you think that’s who Gordon is destined to be, he will go a number of games at a time where he looks like the best and most consistent player on the court for them. For a rebuilding franchise like the Orlando Magic that may not seem like a big feat, but center Nikola Vucevic has been the definition of consistency for years now.
To be outperforming him on a nightly basis, as Gordon occasionally does, shows that there is clearly another few levels to his game, but that we rarely see. The most annoying thing that could happen, and there is a strong possibility that it will, is that Gordon hits the ground running in the bubble, before tailing off when they really need him.
Alternatively, he could start sluggishly, before coming to life when it may be too late and the Magic aren’t in a position to make any noise. Either way, neither of these scenarios are what the team wants to happen, but based on everything we’ve seen from Gordon in his career so far, this is likely what will occur. It needs to be avoided at all costs if the Magic are to take the next step.