The Orlando Magic are hoping to take a leap up in 2020. But the reality is clear: they need a star to do so. And it has to come internally. But from where?
The NBA is still a star’s league.
The offseason focus for the league was on the massive number of stars who shifted teams in one summer. Just look at Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 list:
No. 2 Kawhi Leonard moved from the Toronto Raptors to the LA Clippers. No. 6 Anthony Davis moved from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers. No. 9 Paul George forced his way out of the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the LA Clippers.
No. 11 Jimmy Butler orchestrated a sign-and-trade deal with the Miami Heat. No. 12 Russell Westbrook is now on the Houston Rockets with James Harden. No. 15 Kyrie Irving bolted the Boston Celtics for the Brooklyn Nets — along with Kevin Durant, who is not ranked because he will miss the season.
No. 18 Al Horford flipped to the Philadelphia 76ers. No. 20 Kemba Walker moved to Boston to help ease that team’s burden. And No. 21 Chris Paul went to Oklahoma City in the trade for Russell Westbrook.
That is nine of the top 21 players on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 list that moved teams last year.
Star power is no longer concentrated in a few teams. The breakup of the mega Golden State Warriors has redistributed talent — and hope — around the league.
But make no mistake about it, star power still wins. The best teams in the league all have players at the top of Sports Illustrated’s Top 100. And one really good player can change a lot of things for a single player.
So while all that change occurred throughout the league, the Orlando Magic stood pat. They had their one All-Star in Nikola Vucevic, but not much else in the way of elite talent.
It was this kind of a player that the Magic so sorely missed during the playoffs. As the Toronto Raptors put the clamps on the team, nobody seemed able to create against their set and loaded-up defense.
Nikola Vucevic struggled to find the consistency that made his entire season. Vucevic took plenty of criticism this offseason for his future as a star after averaging 11.2 points per game and shooting 36.2 percent from the floor.
Orlando was begging for someone to step up. And nobody seemed able to.
The perception about Orlando has improved thanks to that playoff appearance. But the ability for the team to do more and take a leap into the second round or competing for homecourt advantage will require the team to get more. . . from someone.
Vucevic will remain an important player this year. Perhaps even their most important player. But it is still clear for the Magic to take a true leap into contention they will need another player to take a leap into stardom.
One player at that level can truly make a difference. Just look at what Vucevic elevating his game did to the team. But he alone does not appear to be enough.
The expectation for Orlando is perhaps one of caution. Nobody really knows what to make of this team or its future in the national media.
They are a nice team that has some solid players but no one who really stands out. At least winning has brought a modicum of respect.
On last year’s Sports Illustrated Top 100 list, only three Magic players cracked the list — Nikola Vucevic at No. 90 and Aaron Gordon leading the way at No. 66. Everyone was bullish on this team.
Things have changed slightly heading into this year.
Orlando had four players on this year’s list with Nikola Vucevic cracking the top 50 at No. 45 and Aaron Gordon at No. 60. Having the top two players barely inside the top-50 is not exactly creating optimism that this team is about to take the leap. But both clearly did enough to impress and show improvement.
Then again Evan Fournier, at least, fell out of that grouping and it is not like any other players are inspiring a ton of confidence entering this season. If someone takes a leap in their game, it would seemingly be a surprise.
That is exactly what Vucevic did last year. So it is not impossible.
Orlando Magic
The Sports Illustrated crews at least issued a mea culpa when it came to severely under ranking Vucevic. They credited Vucevic for improving his game without any discernible exterior cause. It is something that made them reconsider how they went about their list.
But it is rare for a player to make his first All-Star Game at 28 and go back repeatedly. There are few true late bloomers. And Vucevic was one of the last players voted in.
Orlando will need to find a star elsewhere.
Gordon is the natural choice, but he is still seemingly the bigger national mystery. He is the one nobody seems to quite understand. As Sports Illustrated writes:
"“There’s quite a difference between Aaron Gordon as a member of the Orlando Magic and Gordon in a vacuum. The former has spent the past few seasons pushing on the edges of his game, in large part because his circumstances demand it. . . . We’ve glimpsed just enough of Gordon’s talent to know there’s more beneath the surface, and seen enough of his gaffes to wonder if unlocking his game would really be that easy. Players like Gordon are always party—in some way or another—to their own inconsistency.”"
That is true everywhere it seems.
The Step Back ranked Gordon No. 21 in their list of the 25 best players under 25. And a lot of that is because of the inconsistency he has had throughout his career.
It only seems that Gordon is now figuring out how he needs to play for himself and his team to be successful. Amazingly, six years into his career, he seems only now to be touching his potential and figuring out exactly what kind of player he can be.
That will make this year all the more important for him and his development. And for the Magic.
If Orlando is going to take a leap they need someone to step up with Vucevic. Gordon is the best bet. Jonathan Isaac is a long shot still, but also possible. Markelle Fultz is as big a mystery as anyone else. And Mohamed Bamba is still developing, and likely playing behind Nikola Vucevic for the time being. The team is probably only expecting a rookie-level production from them this year.
And the other two players on the Magic that made the list — Al-Farouq Aminu at No. 84 and Terrence Ross at No. 99 — are high-level role players for this team. But they are not due to take a leap into stardom.
This makes it clear the Magic are still somewhat rebuilding. Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic are nearing their prime. Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac are slowly emerging.
The Magic will grow as they all grow together. They are seeking that consistency that has eluded them for so long. And they are seeking someone to support Vucevic and perhaps overtake him to help the Magic take their next steps.
This is a star-driven league. To win, it takes a team but also individual brilliance. And that is the element the Magic are still missing.
They are clearly hoping someone will surprise again and establish themselves on that level.