The Orlando Magic seem expected to make a moderate improvement this season after a fairly quiet summer. Either way, national expectations seem low.
The Orlando Magic are still figuring out a way to dig themselves out of their tricky predicament. At the moment, the team is just trying to put last year’s 29-win disaster behind it and build toward something better.
That started with the changes this offseason in the front office. Orlando clearly needed a new direction. But without much maneuverability, the hopes for real improvement still seemed far off.
The Magic are not going to be thought of as a team that can compete for a Playoff spot until they hit on that big draft pick or until they are already in the mix — surprisingly so.
Orlando did its work this summer to bolster its bench, realizing perhaps there were not any adequate moves to change the starting lineup or perhaps buying into the way the team and that lineup specifically finished with a positive net rating in a significant amount of time together.
The Magic signed Jonathon Simmons to a reasonable three-year deal to bolster their bench. Shelvin Mack seemed like a bit of a reach, but an adequate and strong option as the backup point guard. And Arron Afflalo and Marreese Speights are still productive veterans coming in at the minimum. Orlando certainly improved.
Orlando Magic
There is hope but still plenty of questions. And as the season inches closer, there are plenty of people trying to get a feel for the Magic.
The general consensus remains the Magic improved, but just by how much?
That is where a lot of people and the early predictions remain . . . cautious, at least.
Earlier this summer, ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus projected the Magic to land at 32 wins. That is a modest improvement from last year’s season for sure. But still an improvement. That win total under that metric placed the Magic 10th in the Eastern Conference, just three games out of the Playoffs.
That is a good sign for the team. At the very least, it means the Magic are playing meaningful games late into the season and have a chance to get into the Playoffs. That feels like progress.
But what do other people think?
ESPN empaneled its writers for its Summer Forecast series this week and also projected a modest improvement for the Magic, although not the same potential Playoff success.
ESPN’s panel projects the Magic to win 30 games — a meager one-win improvement — and to finish 12th in the Eastern Conference. That would be seven games out of the Playoffs. Their synopsis summarizes the Magic’s situation:
"It’s hard to believe that it has been five years since the Magic traded Dwight Howard, in part because it seems as if the franchise has made little to no progress in that period. Their best season in that span was a 35-win run two years ago, and they proceeded to drop back to 29 wins last season. The mistakes of last summer have largely been washed away, but there weren’t enough improvements this summer to project a big leap forward for this team yet."
It is a fair assessment. The Magic made some cosmetic improvements to the bench. But they did not make the splashy moves to inspire confidence that things will change much. It is possible this prediction becomes the reality.
At this point, it is hard to figure exactly who the Magic are. And so it seems everyone feels comfortable expecting either the pessimistic view of things or the cautious approach.
The Magic are poised to be a team that either meets their low expectations or surprises everyone. Pleasantly, hopefully.
Judging by the Magic’s complete absence from the national TV schedule, the expectations are indeed low. No one seems ready to pull the trigger on the Magic other than to say they are slighty improved.
Next: Orlando Magic players at work this summer
The depth of that improvement will have to play itself out throughout the season.