The Orlando Magic hit a hard reset on its rebuild after a disappointing 2017 year. The 2018 season comes with questions but hope for a way forward.
The Orlando Magic finished their 2017 season on a high note. Or as high a note as the team had felt in some time.
Sure, there were a few begrudging fans upset over a win — the Magic’s win knocked them to the fifth-best lottery odds rather than the fourth. It cost them one draft spot — and, perhaps, the chance to select De’Aaron Fox. That debate could come another day.
That final time the Orlando Magic were on the floor at the Amway Center — a 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons — was a celebration of what could have been in many ways. Aaron Gordon scored 32 points to go with 12 rebounds. Elfrid Payton scored 21 points to go with 13 assists, hitting two critical jumpers to give the Magic the game. The reported record crowd at the Amway Center got a good night at the arena and the last chance to see the team for a long six months.
That, of course, was momentary. It was not a representation of a frustrating season.
The Magic failed to meet even the lowest expectations and take that step forward. A day later, the team relieved general manager Rob Hennigan of his position. Orlando was clearly in transition. And, after spending so much on free agents and giving up so many young players in the course of a year and a half, the team had an uncertain path forward.
Orlando did not have the cash to go out and change things automatically. Their sixth overall pick guaranteed a solid player in the Draft, but no guarantee of that star they desperately needed. The team was not going to change much, at least if the franchise held onto Playoff dreams.
And that part certainly had to be a bit frustrating. Especially after a 29-win season that was a disaster in almost every way.
Orlando Magic
The team’s plans to build around a strong defense never materialized. The strong start on that end collapsed in the beginning of December and the Magic sank to one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
Orlando shifted gears after trading Serge Ibaka, one of the several players who was supposed to change the team’s identity and take it to the next step. The Magic played better after the break, but only slightly. Enough to believe the Magic could take that necessary step forward, but not enough to feel confident about it.
New president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman’s hands were a bit tied. He had a little bit of cap room to work with, but not enough to sign a true impact player. He worked mostly on the margins.
The Magic would have to make due with what they had already.
So where does this leave the Magic entering the 2018 season? What kind of season is in store for them?
That is the part nobody seems to know.
The predictions from everyone around the league is fairly tepid. A modest improvement of the 29-win season they had last year seems in order. After all, the Magic made only cosmetic, peripheral changes. this offseason.
Yet, the Eastern Conference seems there for the taking. Even with a modest improvement, most predictions have conceded the Magic could finish 10th and within striking distance of the final playoff spot. That is enough to entice a franchise and a fan base into thinking big — or whatever the eighth seed is.
The Magic are not on any growth curve or have some grand plan. Weltman is preparing to enter his first season as the Magic’s head man trying to figure out what he has and how best to move forward.
The team could take that step forward, having added the peripheral pieces it needed to make good on the progress from the end of the season. The team could step back and go back to the Lottery and get another young prospect to develop.
Either scenario seems as likely for the Magic. It leaves a Magic season that seems completely unpredictable with a team no one has a good handle on.
As Orlando begins training camp Tuesday, the team will face all these questions. The questions that come with a team that has proven nothing, has gotten a second chance and has everything to lose as management puts its house in order.