3. Trust in the Orlando Magic’s youth
If the introduction was overly bleak, that is only because caution should always be advised when dealing with the Magic. The reality however, is that a best case scenario for the organization could end up working really well for them this coming season. It might not feel like it right now, but there is some real depth to the roster.
Dwayne Bacon was a nice get from the Charlotte Hornets, and Al-Farouq Aminu is going to return at some point. What head coach Steve Clifford should be most excited about however, is the opportunity to lean into the youth available to him some more. He may be reluctant to do this, especially as the veterans on the roster have bought into how he plays defensively.
But the Magic have not been a good outfit offensively, at least on a consistent basis, and some of the young players have the opportunity to change that. If nothing else, it would give the likes of Vucevic and Evan Fournier a break from doing so much of the heavy lifting on that end of the court during the regular season.
Fultz was better than expected last year, and he appears to have spent the offseason working on his shooting touch. He was already effective as a penetrator and passer for the Magic, and you could argue he was their second best player in a series against the Milwaukee Bucks in the bubble. Adding some more consistent shooting to this would be a great development for player and team.
Chuma Okeke is the real wildcard here. Having missed all of last year, what would have been his rookie campaign, as a result of an ACL tear, he appears rearing to go. The front office have spoken favorably of him as well, and if he can contribute and threaten the position of Aaron Gordon in the rotation, they will know they’re onto something.
Gordon continues to be talked about in trade rumors, and perhaps some direct competition like he has never really faced in a Magic uniform before can spur him to take the leap. If the season begins to slip away, and it could, then turning the team over to Okeke and Fultz, as well as incoming rookie Cole Anthony, wouldn’t be the worst idea. In fact it would be great to see how good they can be together, knowing that Isaac will be returning eventually as well.