Five Reasons to be optimistic about the 2018 Orlando Magic

Coaching continuity

The Magic’s head coach position has not exactly been a bastion of stability since the departure of Stan Van Gundy. Jacque Vaughn, James Borrego, and Scott Skiles all came and went before Frank Vogel’s arrival last offseason.

Now, for the first time since 2014, the Magic will have the same coach two years in a row. That is a big relief for Aaron Gordon in particular, who has had four coaches in his three NBA seasons.

Whether you like Vogel or not, the players seem to. He also has job security for the time being. That is a meaningful combination.

A lot of his tinkering went awry in 2017, but he also did not have much to work with. Nikola Vucevic was unwilling to come off the bench. The Magic were not a deep team and staggering was difficult. The frontcourt was overloaded, so it was difficult to play at the pace he wanted to. Playing Gordon at small forward was disastrous, but there were not many available minutes at power forward.

After the Ibaka trade, the team picked up the pace and Gordon returned to the 4. The defense was worse but the offense was better. Now, Weltman has added some pieces to improve the team’s defense while still playing at a fast pace with Gordon at power forward.

The Magic were better after the trade deadline and established a more modern and effective style of offense. That style fit with Vogel’s professed vision of “pace and space” with speed and athleticism.

This offseason’s moves have given him more tools to build on that style. Terrence Ross will have had more time to acclimate with the team and vice versa. The bench is better. All of that matters.

The Magic are still deeply flawed. Ross and Fournier are the team’s only 3-point shooters, unless there are some unexpected performances. They have a lot of players who would benefit from spacing. But few players, if any, who can provide it.

But having an identity is a first step. Having the personnel to buy in and execute that identity is the second.

Orlando is somewhere around step 1.5 at the moment, after regressing to step zero by last January.

To continue taking steps, the Magic need stability and continuity. They have that this offseason.

Aaron Gordon no longer has pressure to run pick and rolls, handle the ball or shoot from outside. The Paul George identity crisis is over — he now has the chance to just be himself and build on that.

As much as this upcoming season will be one for experimentation and evaluation, a lot of that was already done last year.

The degree to which continuity alone can help a team improve is debatable. But Gordon, Fournier and others around the team have expressed their relief at finally having the same coach for consecutive training camps. When a coach’s players believe he is here to stay, it gives him more credibility. It is easier for players to buy into a coach’s message when it does not seem like he could be fired any minute.

Frank Vogel appears to have the backing of both the front office and his players. He has more tools at his disposal to make his vision work. Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton have an opportunity to improve again without being expected to be something they’re not.

Predicting a playoff appearance for this deeply imperfect team still feels outlandish. But three of last year’s bottom four seeds – the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers – are no longer playoff teams. The Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic will all now have a shot. It is likely only two of those five will miss the playoffs.

Next: Jonathon Simmons completes imperfect Orlando Magic roster

There is still a long road ahead to contention, but the Magic have taken important steps. The defense is chock full of athletic, disruptive, versatile players and the offense, for all its question marks, has an identity. That is more than could be said about the team at last season’s midway point.