Although it doesn’t feel like it every night, the Orlando Magic are in a pretty good place right now. They might be losing a lot of games, but crucially, they have the fanbase mostly onside while they do this. The Amway Center might be full of visiting fans and casuals each night, but the ones who support the team know what is going on.
This is a rebuild that is already showing signs of success. After trading franchise cornerstone Nikola Vucevic last year, the plan was always going to be to lose a lot of games and to take high lottery draft picks. To that end, they are on track, with Jalen Suggs and the ever-impressive Franz Wagner secured in the 2021 draft (at five and eight, respectively).
Now attention turns to the 2022 calendar year, and who the three most important players will be for the Orlando Magic during this period
There are some obvious candidates, while some of the selections here might be a bit more out of left field. The fact that this is a list that is actually kind of hard to get onto, however, speaks volumes about where the Magic are at right now. There is much to be happy about, and that should progress nicely throughout the year.
One guy especially tough to omit from this list is Cole Anthony. Not only has his father Greg come in and united the Twitter fanbase with his logical assessments and clear love for the franchise, but his son is already the heart and soul of the group. They go as he goes, he sets the tone whether on the court or sitting on the bench while injured.
While that is hugely important to the Magic moving forward, it is also something that does not seem like a particularly big variable. Whether he’s playing or not, Anthony is driving this group forward and has the kind of winning mentality which they will lean upon as time goes by.