How the Orlando Magic answered our questions throughout the year

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Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic

Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic represent the old guard for the Orlando Magic, keeping the team competitive while young players grow. (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Orlando Magic have not had the season they hoped to have this year. We had a lot of questions and the Magic have left plenty of them unanswered.

The Orlando Magic’s season went on hiatus just when things were starting to click for them. The team had won eight of their last 12 games to get back to 30-35, solidify their playoff spot and threaten to get the 7-seed.

As the league was entering hiatus, the Magic were entering the softest part of their schedule. They had eight of their next 10 games at home and nine of their next 10 games against teams with losing records.

That included two monumental games against the Brooklyn Nets that would have decided the 7-seed essentially.

It felt like the Magic were ramping up for a playoff run. They were hitting their stride and playing the kind of basketball that everyone expected from the beginning of the season.

Undoubtedly, the season has not gone how many wanted or hoped for. The Magic have faced real adversity this season — both from the injuries that have plagued the team throughout the year and how much the team struggled to find its consistency and urgency from last season.

But there was still a ton of potential for a strong run. Perhaps a run to get back to .500 with a 30-35 record to that point in the season — with the Magic’s schedule it did not feel impossible. And, of course, the thought of the playoffs ahead. That is something nobody takes for granted anymore. Even as the team wants more.

Throughout the season, we have taken a temperature check at each quarter pole. Our goal has been to take a breath and not only review where the team has been, but also to look ahead.

At each quarter pole, we asked five questions the team had to answer in the next set of 20-plus games. But we never really went back to address whether the team had answered those questions. And whether they were even the right questions to ask to begin with.

With the NBA season now on hiatus, it feels like this is the next thing we have to do to take stock of where the Magic are and how they need to move going forward.