Orlando Magic Power Rankings Roundup: Elements of culture

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Apr 1, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) brings the ball up court in the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. The Nets won 121-111. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /

The Orlando Magic came out of this week seemingly upbeat about the culture they are building and the direction they are headed, despite a winless week.

The Orlando Magic are entering the final week of their difficult, frustrating season. It has been easy to count down the days and the games to the finish. For a long time now, the Magic have been trying to get through the season dutifully. The league does not stop just because the Playoffs become an impossibility.

Orlando has gone through its season and these final games with a renewed purpose. Coach Frank Vogel is here for the long haul and wants to build a lasting culture with this team. That is all he has talked about in the post-All-Star Break world.

It is not easy of course. There is a lot of losing ingrained into the team, getting the team to right the ship is going to take a lot of hard work.

Orlando is playing, at least aesthetically better. Following Tuesday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, both coach Frank Vogel and Evan Fournier noted the team is playing better. They both seem to feel the team is moving in the right direction.

But . . . the team is still losing. There is no denying that. The Magic are 6-14 since the All-Star Break. That 30 percent win percentage puts them on pace for 25 wins in the course of a season. The Magic were 21-37 before the All-Star Break, a 30-win pace.

Take that for whatever that means. It is clear Orlando still needs some work.

These games are still about building a culture. And there are plenty of hard lessons to learn. The team still has to learn how to protect a lead and put their foot down for a victory. They have had their success — the win over the Detroit Pistons — and their failures — the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It is tough to change things. It will not happen overnight. And the Magic probably recognize that a roster upgrade is as needed as anything else. Whatever positives they gain from the end of the season are going to be at least somewhat cosmetic.

But they are still positives. The Magic may have needed to take all these steps earlier in the year. They probably should have. But it is better late than never. The Magic are trying, perhaps in vain, to build something for the end of the season.

The reality is all these lessons are coming, but they are coming without wins. That is certain to make a portion of the Magic fan base happy as it maintains a high lottery position. That comes with perhaps the chance at a player who can truly change the Magic’s fortunes.