Orlando Magic Power Rankings Roundup: A fresh start

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Feb 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

John Schuhmann, NBA.com

41. . (47-9). Previous: . Golden State Warriors. 1. team

28. team. 20. . (19-39). Previous: . Los Angeles Lakers

29. team. 38. . (21-37). Previous: . Orlando Magic

"“Aaron Gordon’s performance in the Verizon Slam Dunk contest was a good summary of the Magic’s season. The Serge Ibaka trade didn’t erase last summer’s mistake, but will allow Gordon to play more at the four, where he’s played just 21 percent of his minutes thus far. Of course, the Magic have been pretty bad (minus-10.7 points per 100 possessions) in those minutes. Another trade could further verify the direction they’re going after this season as Frank Vogel tries to establish something to build on (preferably on defense) over their last 24 games.”"

147. . (9-47). Previous: . Brooklyn Nets. 30. team

If there is some hope or something the Magic should be focusing on for the rest of this season, it is Aaron Gordon and finding out how best to employ him offensively.

Gordon’s offensive skills have expanded thanks to the experiment at the 3. But it is clearly where he is not effective. The Magic will go smaller so he will be employed in new ways and the Magic have to explore the exact right way to play him. And then build to emphasize that.

Gordon is still very much the big hope for the Magic this season. He has all the opportunity and ability to be a good player. At the very least, he is a quality perimeter defensive stopper. For Gordon it is about finding a better fit and continuing consistency. The Magic must watch him grow.

And the Magic must find ways to grow their other players too. Mario Hezonja needs some minutes (finally) so the Magic have a better understanding of what they have in their fifth overall pick. Elfrid Payton should be starting, regardless of anything else, just so the Magic are exactly sure what his value is. Orlando needs to understand what kind of role Terrence Ross can play in their future.

In all likelihood, the roster the Magic have now is not going to be their roster in 2018. They need to make changes to take the next step as an organization. Figuring out exactly what changes they need to make is going to be key for the final 24 games.

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And a big part of that is first figuring out exactly how to feature and use Aaron Gordon.