Orlando Magic can learn lessons from Eastern Conference’s previous 7-seeds

Takeaways

There are two types of teams who end up the seventh seed. Teams on the rise and teams on the decline.

The Boston Celtics were on the decline. They had made their run and this playoff appearance was their sign things were at an end and change was needed.

The Milwaukee Bucks were a team on the rise. They had their budding star and needed the right voice to unlock his full potential.

Which team is the Orlando Magic? That part is not particularly clear. They may have well hit their ceiling, finally bursting through into the playoffs. Or they might have a budding young star ready to break out.

For teams in the seventh seed, stagnation is the enemy. Every team in this position wants to find a way up and find a way to progress.

Orlando Magic

Looking through the last few years of 7-seeds, there is clearly a formula for a way up and out of the lower seeds.

It takes a young player taking the leap first and foremost.

Giannis Antetokounmpo took the leap from interesting and promising young player to superstar to move the Milwaukee Bucks into contention. The Indiana Pacers acquired Victor Oladipo and saw him turn into an All-Star, propelling that team from a lower seed to the middle of the Eastern Conference pack.

This alone is not enough. Kemba Walker developed into an All-Star and could not seem to get the Charlotte Hornets into the playoffs consistently.

It still takes good coaching and organizational culture. It takes an understanding of what a team is good at and a balanced attack in addition to that star player to take that next leap.

And sometimes the way to move up is to make a coaching change and get a new voice in the locker room. That too does not always work — the Hornets tried that last year and James Borrego could not get the tam back. It is still about finding the right coach and instilling the right culture in the end.

This is no sure thing. A coach who was right for getting the team to the doorstep, might not be the right one to take them to the next step. And things can collapse quickly at any stage in the NBA.

The important point in all of this is to continue to find a way forward. To have a team that you believe can continue to improve and take the next steps. And then putting that team in a position to take that next step.

It takes shrewd moves both with the roster and with the coaching staff to get the right mix.

What should be clear is that growth is not inevitable. It takes twists and turns to take that next step. And it could be years in the middling seeds before that right move or that right development comes along to take the team to the next level.

What is important for the Magic right now is to build on what they accomplished last year. They need to get back to the playoffs at a minimum and hope one of their young players take a leap next season.