The Wings
If one group disappointed the most this season, it was the wings. The team needed shooting and it was still lacking with the roster construction.
Orlando was looking for versatility — and Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac deserve their own category, which they will get here in a bit — more than anything else. And the team had a lot of it even from their smaller wings.
But the bottom line was they needed shooting. So while players like Terrence Ross and Wesley Iwundu made incredible strides and were vital to the team’s success. Orlando will almost certainly still be looking to improve their shooting guard position and bolster their bench depth and shooting as part of the next step.
Ross had the best year of his career. He endeared himself to fans and inserted himself as a key part of the Magic’s closing lineup. Ross was a tough shot maker and changed the game with his shooting and ability to draw the defense in and make shots with limited space.
Ross’ heroics throughout the season gave the Magic an extra confidence. It was worth a few wins.
There was little offensive support around him though.
Evan Fournier still scored plenty — he averaged 15.1 points per game — but had the worst shooting year of his career. He could not explain why he struggled to shoot so much. And, in the playoffs at least, he knew it hurt his team.
There was seemingly no end to Fournier’s struggles. Every time he looked like he was breaking out, he had another long stretch where he just did not shoot as the team has expected.
Fournier grew in other ways. It was his best defensive season of his career. He was a better passer and playmaker than ever before. If he can restore his shot and continue to add that, then Fournier looks a whole lot better in the role.
Orlando still needs that playmaker to set everyone up.
Off the bench, Iwundu proved his worth as a second-round pick. He was a dogged defender who could make a difference with his energy. The only thing missing was his 3-point shot.
That took a huge leap this year, shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. That is a big part of Iwundu getting minutes now. And Iwundu has established himself there.
Orlando very well could lose Ross in free agency this summer. The wings could be depleted for that reason. The Magic may have to focus their draft and free agency in deepening their wing depth.
They certainly need Fournier to bounce back — that is, if the team does not look to move him to a new team and get out from under his contract.
Overall, this group did a lot of good things. Ross and Iwundu were vitally important. But the biggest player in this group did not perform to the level the Magic ultimately needed. And there are still big questions to ask about where the Magic go next among this group.