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Five Reasons to be optimistic about the 2018 Orlando Magic

By Ricky Scricca

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 22: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 22, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 22: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 22, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Jonathon Simmons, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MAY 22: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 22, 2017 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Orlando Magic’s roster looks a lot like it did at the end last season. Still, there is a reason to believe the team will outperform last year’s 29-win campaign.

The front office has called 2018 a season to sit back and evaluate. A clear pivot away from former general manager Rob Hennigan’s win-now approach to 2017, those comments did not sit well with fans hoping to see the Orlando Magic shake things up in a big way.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman saw the results of impatience last season. So did the rest of the NBA, Magic fans in particular. Trying to prematurely jump start a rebuild backfired horribly.

Trying to prematurely jump start a rebuild backfired horribly. Over time it reduced a promising young core consisting of Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Maurice Harkless and more into half a season of Serge Ibaka, Terrence Ross and some future second-round picks.

Not to mention, the Magic tied up an inordinate amount of cap space into Bismack Biyombo, Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin. The latter two were failed experiments. And, at this point, the Magic would be lucky to get a decent trade return for those still on the roster.

Many fans have understandably exhausted their optimism.

But it is time for a renewed sense of patience. Even if Weltman wanted to, they did not have many chips to push in. They did not have much cap space entering the offseason, and now there is even less.

Sights are set on 2020, when most of the team’s current contracts will have expired and they will have a chance to make a big free agency splash.

But in the interim, patience does not mean regression, stagnation or that the team cannot make significant internal improvements. In fact, there are plenty of reasons to believe the Magic will get noticeably better next year.

The end of last season gave us a sneak peek at what this could look like. Young players started to figure it out. It felt like the team started to come into its own.

Jonathan Isaac will take time to fully develop, but he should still provide an immediate impact. Jonathon Simmons will add wing defense, energy and athleticism. Bismack Biyombo suffered by far the worst season of his career in 2017, but some slight roster and rotation changes might help him progress back to the mean. With those roster changes also comes improved depth.

Most importantly, the Magic’s young guns finally have some coaching continuity.

Predicting a playoff spot sounds crazy for a team that could not crack 30 wins last year. But with a historically weak Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic could get closer than expected. If nothing else, this team has a chance to be a lot of fun.

If nothing else, this team has a chance to be a lot of fun.