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The 2015 Orlando Magic: Final Evaluation

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Feb 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) and guard Willie Green (34) walk off the court with their heads down after they lost to the Miami Heat in overtime during the second half at Amway Center. Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 93-90 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo (5) and guard Willie Green (34) walk off the court with their heads down after they lost to the Miami Heat in overtime during the second half at Amway Center. Miami Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 93-90 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 4, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) runs into Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) while shooting during the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) runs into Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) while shooting during the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

The Good and The Bad

The Magic saw a lot of good. Unfortunately it came from individual players rather than as a collective unit. Rob Hennigan did a great job collecting talent and having a young core in place. Now it is about getting the core to come together and form a team.

This Magic group was not a team.

Tobias Harris had his moments where he looked like a good player. Elfrid Payton warranted Rookie of the Year consideration for his play. Nikola Vucevic was solid in the post and showed some improvement in the areas he needed. Victor Oladipo looked ready to make a star turn this summer.

These are all good things. The Magic saw players improve and got a clearer picture of what their future would look like.

Nikola Vucevic continued to be someone they can count on to contribute on the offensive end. Victor Oladipo looks like he could turn into that number one option. Elfrid Payton emerged as a point guard for the future. Everything started to become just a little clearer.

A little though. The big picture still looks very fuzzy.

There is no guarantee Oladipo makes that next step. Payton is a rookie that has a lot of potential but still a lot of uncertainty. Not nearly as much as Aaron Gordon, who spent much of the season injured and not hitting on his potential.

And there is no place it seems to begin with Tobias Harris and his future.

At some point the Magic had to begin taking this collection of talent and putting them together as a team. Orlando believed this year’s team would be the one to turn that corner.

They never did.

The defense was abysmal — ranked in the bottom five in the league after being in the middle of the league the previous season — and the offense felt even worse. At least, everyone expected the offense to struggle without a clear go-to option.

The coach got fired for the inconsistency and the team’s seeming inability to respond to him. They found something of an identity with James Borrego stressing paint defense, but a 10-20 record in the final 30 games hardly inspires confidence or wreaks of success.

The main failure of the 2015 season was the team’s inability to establish an identity and come together. What made it worse was that at the beginning of the season, it looked like the Magic would accomplish both. Things crashed so hard, so quickly.

Next: Best Game of 2015