Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Playoff dreaming

Say something nice about the Magic this season.

Rossman-Reich: I enjoyed getting my #OneAaronGordonHighlightPerGame. You have got to love the kid. Gordon never complained or showed any outward sign he was frustrated by his change of role. He reveled in trying to make the work happen. He improved his jumper and expanded his skills. His time at small forward helped him when he eventually shifted to power forward when the team shifted gears midseason. Gordon kept working and kept finding ways to make things work, even for a brief moment. It was not his fault he was blocked in a place where his skills could not be accentuated to their fullest potential. He got that freedom and the Magic now know where he can be most successful. Hopefully, he takes another step after a fully healthy summer.

Scricca: Aaron Gordon’s defense was awesome. He showed he not only has the measurables but also the IQ and discipline to be an elite defender despite still being so young. I really enjoyed watching him match up against James Harden in particular. You could tell that even during an otherwise miserable season, Gordon was looking forward to challenging himself on the defensive end every single night and guarding the opponent’s best player. I loved that enthusiasm.

Palmer: They picked a good year to be unintentionally bad. They are slated to have the fifth-best odds in the draft. Hopefully, they will not drop any lower than sixth. There are a lot of good players at both the point guard and small forward position early in the lottery this year. Those positions are probably where the Magic need to improve most.

Iwanowski: They did not trade away Aaron Gordon or their first round draft pick. I was very afraid around deadline time the Magic were gonna try to send away more young pieces for another vet with the hopes of making the playoffs soon, and we are very fortunate they did not do that.