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Locked On Magic: Orlando Magic early season impressions

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 18: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat jump for the tip off to start the game between the two teams on October 18, 2017 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 18: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat jump for the tip off to start the game between the two teams on October 18, 2017 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic are three games into their regular season. It is hard to draw too much, but the early impressions of this team are very encouraging.

The first three games for the Orlando Magic have had fans going from surprised delight, to frustrated depression to complete elation.

The win over the Miami Heat was a feel-good story for the Orlando Magic. It was a great first impression in front of a sellout crowd and the kind of win the Magic could potentially build some momentum.

It was easy to feel good about the Magic and everything they had been selling throughout training camp after that win — 17-point leads lost aside.

Then Friday night seemed to drop everyone off a cliff. In a game against a Brooklyn Nets team everyone expects to settle in at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic did not lay an egg. They scored with the Nets. But that was the problem. The team did not take the step forward defensively the Magic have talked about all offseason.

It was a step back. The disappointment within the team was palpable. The frustration among the fans was certainly palpable. Everyone asked who this team really was.

Maybe Orlando revealed that a bit the following night.

Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic put on a clinic. They led by as much as 37 points and doubled up the Cavaliers after the first quarter. After Cleveland cut the lead to seven points in the third quarter, Orlando buried the game with a 31-9 run. The Magic not only snapped a long losing streak to the Cavaliers but also handed LeBron James one of the worst statistical losses of his career.

At 2-1 and with the fifth-best offensive rating and the fourth-best net rating in the league, the Magic are one of the (very) early surprises in the league.

Of course, these are incredibly small sample sizes. Nikola Vucevic is not likely to continue playing at the rate he is playing — 27.7 points per game with a 75.0 percent effective field goal percentage and a 36.4 PER. Things will come back to earth for the Magic.

But some interesting trends have certainly emerged for the Magic. Some that appear to have some ability to last.

In Sunday’s Orlando Magic Daily Facebook Live, I discussed the weekend games and some of the early trends for this NBA season.

There has been plenty to like with the Magic through three games. The sample size is still incredibly small, so everything should be taken with some grains of salt. But the team has shown plenty of encouraging signs.

Even facing the injury issues from early in the season, the Magic have put up some stellar offensive numbers. That has carried over from the end of last season and the preseason. The Magic are not likely to keep shooting at this clip, but it is hard to see the team slowing down. Or heading toward the depths it was at last year.

Nikola Vucevic’s development as a 3-point shooter has also been encouraging in a lot of ways. Especially considering it seems like he has gotten back to the post a lot more. He has found a good balance and is scoring in bunches, showing a good balance between the inside and out.

Orlando’s defense still needs work. And seeing the team continue to produce without Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton in the lineup seems extremely unlikely.

It is still early after all. There is a long road ahead for the Magic to reach consistency.

And just as encouraging as the Magic’s win over the Cavaliers was, they have yet to build a win streak. Dropping that game in Brooklyn was frustrating, to say the least.

Next: Orlando Magic becoming something no one expected -- a 3-point shooting team

Overall, the early signs from theMagic are encouraging. Now the Magic have to navigate their way through the rest of their schedule.