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Jeff Weltman: Orlando Magic’s challenge is to find out who they really are

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 29: Jonathon Simmons #17 and Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic talk during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 29, 2017 at 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 Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 29: Jonathon Simmons #17 and Aaron Gordon #00 of the Orlando Magic talk during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 29, 2017 at 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 Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic’s challenge for the rest of this season is to find out who they really are and determine their identity to build moving forward.

The Orlando Magic are a hard team to figure.

To some, they are exactly what everyone thought they were. A team that won 29 games and has largely lacked direction for the last five years. They are an afterthought in the league with a roster too good to allow them to tank but not good enough to compete for a Playoff spot. Orlando is stuck in the worst kind of middle.

That is among the many reasons why the Magic changed management after their rebuild stalled out.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has not had the chance to make his imprint on the team. The Magic did not have much cap room to spend this summer for him to reshape things. He said the Magic and their new front office would spend the year analyzing and evaluating their team — hoping another year could create some movement and get a better idea of what they are working with.

Through the first quarter of the season, there are a lot of things the team has learned. But the up-and-down nature of the season has also left a lot of questions.

Everyone is asking: Is this the team that sprinted out of the gates at 8-4? Or the team that just snapped a nine-game losing streak?

The answer is somewhere in the middle. But the next quarter of the season — and the direction the rest of the season will go — will be determined by how the Magic answer this question.

That is the question Weltman wants to know from this team. He joined Scott Anez on ESPN Radio 580 AM before Wednesday’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and discussed the team’s disappointments and progress early this season.

He cited determining the team’s personality as a key to develop for this season:

"“We’re all trying to understand the personality of our group individually and then as a group,” Weltman said. “The NBA season is highs and lows. We were 6-2 and 8-4 and we are in this awful losing skid now. Who are we within all that crazy swing? At the beginning of the season, I would say we were shooting the ball above our pay grade. I would say we were the beneficiaries of good health. We were taking care of business at home and our schedule was somewhat favorable. We were taking advantage of what opportunities were presented us.“When you look at our nine-game skid, I think for me there are a couple positives to be taken. But here is the reality, we have now played to date the second most difficult schedule in the NBA when you consider back to backs, opponent’s win percentage and home/road.“All that being said: Who are the Orlando Magic? Are we the 8-4 Orlando Magic? Probably not. Are we the 0-9 Orlando Magic? Definitely not. OUr task this season is to figure out what our baseline reality is and then we will build from there. The NBA is always a challenge because you are never given a true baseline. There are always injuries, there are always different scheduling challenges. There are always highs and lows when everything is functioning up. These are the daily adversities you face in the NBA. Our challenge is to figure out who we really are coming through this.”"

Weltman also cited the absence of Jonathan Isaac and the other injuries the team has faced. As a 29-win team, Weltman said, the Magic were not a team that could afford to have too many injuries.

The injury to Jonathan Isaac especially, Jeff Weltman said hurt. The team needed his versatility and especially his defensive impact. And the numbers bear that out some.

But the problems for the Magic are rightly much larger than that. It is truly about the team’s identity and the Magic figuring out who they are as a team.

This next stretch of the schedule — December is significantly easier at least on paper than November was — will give the Magic a chance to discover who they are really. That personal will develop now.

Clearly, they will need to develop some better habits and some footing defensively that they have lost.

It would appear from this interview, Weltman and his staff are still evaluating things with this roster. The hot start gave them hope. But the losing streak also was revelatory. All the information is valuable.

Next: Orlando Magic are next man up to replace Terrence Ross

And perhaps the preview is coming in February when the trade deadline opens up.