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ESPN still not believing Orlando Magic’s aim to win

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 5, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) drives to the basket against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 115-114. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) drives to the basket against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Verizon Center. The Washington Wizards won 115-114. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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ESPN released a new round of win projections for the rest of the season. They seem to think the Orlando Magic will skate by to the end of the season.

The Orlando Magic may be more willing to admit the Playoffs are a long shot — coach Frank Vogel has said as much — but they are not about to pack things in for the rest of the season.

Eagle-eyed Magic fans surely will have noticed Orlando has slid from fourth to fifth on Tankathon after Saturday’s games. That is what a win can do. But the Magic are not likely to focus on this page often for the final quarter of the season.

Instead, they are focused on building winning habits and a winning culture. Or at least the beginning of one.

"“Winning habits. This organization needs to learn how to win,” Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily before Friday’s win over the Miami Heat. “Players need to learn how to win. I’ve had success winning. Some of our players have had success winning elsewhere. We haven’t here. We as a group have to figure that out. A lot goes into that obviously. We’re still preparing for every game like it’s our last to give a maximum effort and maximum focus and try to improve every day.”"

The Magic will spend the rest of the season trying to build something for the future. Something that will continue into 2018.

“Winning culture” is still a nebulous term. One that is difficult to define. It is almost seemingly as difficult to obtain.

The Magic have made this talk since the All-Star Break and sit at a sterling 2-2. Through the incredibly small sample size of four games since the break (a dividing line we make because it was when Terrence Ross played his first game for the Magic), Orlando is 10th in the league in net rating (an 18-point and 11-point win are going to skew numbers).

But the signs are good. Net rating is usually a better determinant of where a team actually stands among its peers. The Magic are playing better of late.

Still, no one is expecting a massive change. No one is quite sure what to make of this Magic team yet.

The latest batch of projections from Kevin Pelton ESPN Insider has the Magic topping off at a relatively lowly 30 wins.

"Orlando’s projection doesn’t account for players sitting out down the stretch, which could be a possibility now that the playoffs are unrealistic for the Magic. That might drop Orlando’s projection further."

At least he has the Magic passing the Philadelphia 76ers on the way out this season.

FiveThirtyEight also has the Magic projected to win 30 games.

The Magic, at 23-39, are on pace to win 30 games. Orlando would have to go on a big run to get back to 35 wins, last year’s total. That run would be winning 12 of the team’s final 20 games. A tall order for a team that has not won consecutive games since Dec. 26.

So, indeed, the goal is not necessarily to hit a number anymore. It is to finish the rest of the season strong and begin building a culture of winning.

"“Collectively, everybody needs to be on the same page,” Aaron Gordon told Orlando Magic Daily after Friday’s game. “What that means is everyone being bought into a scheme. Knowing how to win means understanding how we’re going to win and everyone buying into it. And then bringing that night in and night out, holding each other accountable and playing to a standard of basketball that you play regardless of how you’re feeling.”"

This is the standard the Magic will play to for the rest of this season. It may not be to get to 35 wins. It probably will not get the team anywhere close to the Playoffs the rest of this year.

Next: Dunc'd On Podcast: Orlando Magic most disappointing team

But the Magic’s desire to begin laying the foundations for a winning culture are paramount to their goals for the rest of this season.