Despite questions, Orlando Magic did get better

The Orlando Magic have a ton of questions as the 2017 season quickly approaches. One thing that should be clear is they improved over 2016. Is it enough?

It has been a long offseason for the Orlando Magic. One that has seen significant change and significant shifting to the rebuild plan. The cogs have been set in motion to improve the team and take a step forward.

The changes began last February with the trade of Tobias Harris. This first deal — dumping a promising young player for cap room — was a clear signal winning had taken over and rebuilding was over.

The Magic made good with that plan, spending aggressively and pulling the trigger on a major deal that sent out former second overall pick Victor Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Serge Ibaka. Orlando hired a new coach in Frank Vogel and signaled a clear turn to defense.

Things seem more defined than they have ever been since Dwight Howard departed. The Magic have a clear defensive identity and the pieces can begin to fall into place.

Yet, things are not defined at all.

There are still some major questions facing this team. Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon will be relied upon to kickstart the offense after two seasons where both showed they struggled on offense. Nikola Vucevic has established himself as a strong offensive player but has many questions of whether he can hold together a defense-first unit — especially with a high-priced player behind him in Bismack Biyombo.

The Magic’s season is a completely mystery. The schedule — set to be released Thursday — will provide some clarity, but it is unclear whether this team will put all the pieces together.

There is plenty of skepticism. And rightfully so.

Thumbing through the archives on this site, my Twitter stream and the comment section in this site, you could certainly accuse me of being something of a pessimist when it comes to the upcoming season. Maybe I am. I am not completely sold the team will make the Playoffs.

But in this long quest to make it back to the Playoffs, the Magic are closer today than they were at the beginning of last season. I tend to fall in the same camp as David Aldridge of NBA.com, who ranked the Magic with the 12th best offseason this summer:

"I wanted to like Orlando’s total makeover more than I actually did. It’s just jarring for a team to absorb that much change in one offseason quickly and smoothly. In a year, it may have all been worth it, but it’s going to be tough to hit the ground running next season."

This team should be better than it was in 2016. The Magic should continue to show some tangible progress. The question is whether that will be enough.

The Orlando Magic are better for the 2017 season. Just how much better is the question.

The Magic could easily be a better team and win 35 games again this year. They could realistically win 45 games and make the Playoffs easily. They, more than likely, will finish around .500 and have a shot at the Playoffs at the end of the season. But that is no guarantee of the kind of success the team wants.

And that is OK. That is progress.

But there are two competing goals for this Magic team this year. Two pressures — externally and internally — for this team. Scott Skiles‘ words from his introductory press conference last summer and media day ring true — this team is aiming for the Playoffs and a winning record, why not get both?

The Eastern Conference is clearly better than it was last year when the belief was a winning record would be more than enough. A .500 record is not enough to make the Playoffs anymore.

The Magic will have to improve pretty dramatically again — by more than six games — to achieve this goal. Improving by nearly 10 wins in back-to-back years is a big task. But so is going from 35 wins to a winning team and then again from a winning team to a contending team. It is all along that same path.

And it is the next step the Magic have to take. One way or another.

The Orlando Magic are very capable of achieving these goals. The team has set a direction. That is important and something that was missing for the last few years. It is easy to forget this in the avalanche of questions that surround this team.

A lot of our time on this site this summer has been spent focusing on the questions that face this team. Can Aaron Gordon take the next step in his career? Can Elfrid Payton find consistency? Can Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic find a new level? Can Serge Ibaka do more in a bigger offensive role?

These questions will make or break the Magic’s season. Not all of them will be answered in the Magic’s favor most likely. There will be some pitfalls and struggles in the process. There are no guarantees of anything.

And there are legitimate questions about whether the team will be able to succeed even under the new identity. The Magic had a defensive coach last year, and the team did not become a defensive juggernaut. Frank Vogel has his work cut out for him.

The Magic addressed those issues this summer in focusing on adding that rim protector they so desperately needed. That should make them a better team, even if they sacrificed one of their best scorers to get them. The offense will figure itself out. These are all NBA players. The defense alone is enough to make the Magic a better team. And it will keep them in many games if it can become consistent.

Next: Previewing the orlando Magic with the Almighty Baller Podcast

The question for this team is not simply about being better than last year. The question is making the Playoffs. And that question is much more complex and difficult to answer.