The Orlando Magic will be one of the more compelling teams in the NBA during the early part of the season. For better or for worse.
If there is one thing the Orlando Magic are now that they were not the last four years is relevant.
For better — and for worse — the Magic made themselves nationally relevant with their busy summer. That is a lot more than they could say the last four years when the Magic were an afterthought throughout the league. For at least a brief moment this summer, the Magic were the most important team in the league.
That was at least until Kevin Durant moved on to Oklahoma City.
While Orlando only has one national television appearance this season — the fewest in the league — Orlando is going to be one of the more interesting teams to watch. So those with League Pass will certainly watch with interest in what happens with the Magic.
More than anything the Magic are a curiosity. How will the pieces fit together under Frank Vogel? Who will emerge on this team? And can they actually do it and make the Playoffs?
These will be among the enduring questions about this team and why FanSided’s Jared Wade writes they are one of the most compelling teams in the league this year:
"What the hell are the Orlando Magic? The team continues to flip some of its best talent for pieces that don’t seem complementary to one another. They don’t make a lot of sense.Reaching for Serge Ibaka, while giving up Victor Oladipo, is reasonable in some contexts. But it is harder to defend when you go out and sign Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green immediately thereafter.This is made all the stranger still by these people all needing time in a front court that features, arguably, the team’s best player, Nikola Vucevic, and quite-literal rising star Aaron Gordon."
There is a certain amount of a car crash syndrome going on. Everyone who cares to look just wants to see how things shake out and how Vogel and the Magic use this roster in the end.
That will be one of the more interesting questions the Magic have to answer early on in training camp.
And, of course, there is the pressure to make the Playoffs that is present on this team. After four years missing the Playoffs, the Magic seemed determined to make the postseason no matter what.
That kind of pressure only adds to the storylines for this team.
If the Magic flounder, their story will be one of how do they clean up this mess and what direction the franchise goes? That is not likely to capture much of the national discussion.
Should the Magic succeed and make the Playoffs, they will certainly capture everyone’s attention again with everyone trying to figure out what they missed in this team to begin with.
That uncertainty certainly is compelling, even without a star to anchor the team.
Next: 2017 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Jodie Meeks
The Magic are certainly an under-the-radar team that could be very interesting nationally as the season gets going.