Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Will they or won’t they?
How many games will the Orlando Magic win? Will they make the playoffs?
David Iwanowski (@davidiwan1): Fivethirtyeight projects the Magic at 38 wins and tied with Atlanta for eighth in the East, and I feel that is in the ballpark. The Magic did win 35 games last season, and I definitely feel they got better despite all the criticism of the money dished out. The defense should be among the best in the league, and teams who have elite offense or defense generally find success. Frank Vogel’s connection with the players will add a lot, and the depth could help soften the blow of any potential injuries. I would say the Magic win 40 games and sneak into the playoffs as the 8-seed.
Zach Palmer (@FmrTankCommandr): This question is really tough, the Magic have obviously improved their talent level a good bit and you could argue that the coaching staff has improved as well. But that is a ton of change to undergo in an offseason. I am going to say the Magic win 39 games. However I am not sold 39 wins gets Orlando into the playoffs. In this scenario, I see Orlando starting off pretty slow and picking up some serious steam after the All-Star break. If Orlando starts out strong, it would go a long way for their playoff chances.
Alvaro Grullon (@AlGrullonNBA): The Orlando Magic ended last season with a 35-47 record. By acquiring Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, D.J. Augustin and, most importantly, Frank Voguel during the offseason, the team should play a better brand of basketball this season. I expect the Magic to improve their record and surprise some in the Eastern Conference. I see them winning 41 games this upcoming season and to a position in which they will be fighting for one of the lower seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Richard Scricca (@scricca1): This season could go one of two ways for the Magic. They are counting on a lot of players to take a step up and/or do some different things offensively (Aaron Gordon at small forward, the development of Mario Hezonja and Elfrid Payton, Nikola Vucevic possibly shooting threes, etc). That said, I trust Frank Vogel to get the most out of his resources this year and coach the team to around 40 wins or more. With a slightly weakened Eastern Conference, I think there is a good shot that gets them into the playoffs.
Vincent McMillan (@vmvincemj): The Orlando Magic made some moves this year adding veteran depth to the bench. Last year they missed out on quite a few wins because they were unable to seal the deal. With the additions that have been made I can see the Magic taking care of those close games and clawing back into other like they did in the final preseason game. The Magic win 44 games this year. Yes, that is good enough to make the playoffs.
Philip Rossman-Reich (@omagicdaily): I think the Orlando Magic got better. They have more talent and they finally have a guy with elite skills. But like everyone else, I have a question of fit. And I wonder whether the Magic are going to be using their players to their fullest potential. Frank Vogel is going to wring everything out of this team he can. And the Magic will have a clearer vision of where they want to build and head in the future. But I think they ultimately fall short — just short. I have them at 40 wins, playing to the final weeks of the season, but ultimately out of the Playoffs.