2019-2020 NBA Season Preview: The 10 Biggest Questions for the Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are eager to take their next steps after a playoff appearance last year. To get that they have to answer some big questions moving ahead.
The Orlando Magic will open their 2020 season Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For the first time in seven seasons, Orlando enters the year with some major expectations. The team is not trying to breakthrough in the same way. They already proved they can make the playoffs. And, at the least, the team is expected to make the postseason again.
Of course, nobody wants just to make the playoffs anymore. The team has ambitions to keep growing and improving. They want to compete for home-court advantage or get to the second round.
That is a positive growth mindset. And with the Magic returning essentially their whole roster from last year, they know they will have their work cut out for them. But they also know they can accomplish those goals.
The whole project for the Magic centers around their young players. The team has a defensive identity built upon the extreme size and length of their players. Deploying a defensive lineup featuring Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and even Nikola Vucevic proved last year to be difficult to crack.
And it is still looking tough with a year under coach Steve Clifford. Orlando is going to be tough to score against when they get set in the half-court for this reason.
But nothing is ever certain. The Magic will have to find some internal growth to get to that next level. And an injury to the wrong player or a tough offensive stretch could cause the whole thing to collapse.
As Clifford put it throughout training camp if the team stays committed to its way to play they are a better, more talented team than last year.
Still, plenty of questions remain. As part of FanSided’s NBA preview, they asked five big questions for each team. We have decided to take things to the next level and ask five more big questions for the Magic as they prepare to begin their 2020 campaign.