Orlando Magic should still dream about playoffs, even if it is far-fetched

At this point of the calendar year, nobody should be pessimistic. Everything seems possible when the team is 0-0 and everyone can believe that everything will go right.

There is optimism and there is realism. And looking ahead to the 2022 season right now, it is good to have a mix of both.

There should be at least the belief that everything will line up for the Magic to be the surprise team in the Eastern Conference. They certainly have the talent to do so with all the former top-10 picks dotting the roster and players who have carved out spots for themselves in the league.

Despite some improvements, it is still the Eastern Conference. The top is not likely to change and there is a more robust middle. But someone always surprises — nobody had the New York Knicks making the playoffs let alone grabbing home-court advantage last year — and someone who disappoints — the Orlando Magic last year, for instance.

The return of the play-in tournament will keep the playoffs within some reach for every team.

The realist will say this is an incredibly young team and full of inconsistency. So much of what the team can accomplish depends on the fast development of a rookie in Jalen Suggs and the return to form after yearlong absences from Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz.

That feels like a lot of risks to bet on. And the Magic appear through their hirings and focuses this offseason more concerned with creating a strong player development environment for young players to grow. It sure does not feel like winning is the main priority.

The Orlando Magic are not expected to factor in the playoffs race and may end up playing for Lottery position again late in the season. But the team should start off with playoff goals and aim to build that culture.

Most of the early predictions seem to be OK with this. The Magic might be at the bottom of the standings in most of the early season predictions, but national observers believe the team is on the right track. With another high Lottery pick, maybe the Magic will have their core to start growing.

That growing should always be in focus. And winning is not something that a team can turn on and off. That is why the start of the season should lean toward the optimist side rather than the realist side.

The Magic should be thinking about the playoffs in mid-August even if they will not be in mid-April.

This is the point of the calendar year where fans try to talk themselves into the best version of the team. There is at least a current of belief within the fan base that the Magic could sneak into the playoffs.

This Orlando team may be destined for some struggle. But with how young the team is and how many key players are already likely on the roster, the team still needs to set out some goals and try to achieve them. This team cannot create an early environment where winning is not important.

Even in Summer League, it was clear to see the frustration losing brought on and how much players like Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony were trying to and wanted to win.

The team will likely set out some clearer goals during the team’s media day and training camp.

During the Rob Hennigan rebuild, some years the team demurred at any mention of the playoffs, and other times they would embrace the mission and the goal. In either case under Hennigan, the team fell woefully short through a mixture of a lack of star power, poor coaching and poor organizational culture.

This iteration of the team’s rebuild is hoping to avoid those same traps — using a more experienced coaching staffing but still going to an extreme youth movement. And some of that may be dreaming and aiming for the playoffs early.

The Orlando Magic may be considered one of the few teams in the league that do not seem to have a chance at making a playoff run — the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons are widely considered to be the others — but that does not mean the “P” word should be banned from all discussions.

Orlando Magic

If this is the ultimate goal for the team — and going beyond that to winning a championship one day — the team should not hide from these goals. And there is always one team that surprises. Constantly — whether it was the 2019 Magic or the 2021 Wizards — one strong run through a quarter of the season is often enough to sneak into a playoff spot.

With so much young talent, the Magic certainly want to see the team make progress. They will undoubtedly want to see signs that what they are building is working. This will be a season to hang onto stretches of good play and wins against quality opponents as a sign they are indeed on the right track.

That might be the most important measure this season. Through all the inconsistencies that young players go through, are there inspired stretches of strong play and does this have the outlines of a team that can compete at the higher levels.

Maybe staying on the periphery of the playoff race for most of the season before fading at the end is the right way for this team to grow. Maybe the team can gain confidence early and stay in the race longer than expected and surprise some along the way, carving out a spot.

Orlando’s focus is still clearly on its future. Whether that can happen still turns back to Isaac and Fultz’s health along with a number of other factors. It is still exceedingly unlikely. Although, not impossible.

This is the part of the calendar year though where everyone can dream. And nobody should be completely dissuaded from those lofty goals.

The team should be building and grooming itself as if it can and will compete for playoff spots. That will reveal which young players are worth investing in and which ones should be moved along or pushed down the depth chart.

The playoffs might be far-fetched, but Orlando should not shy away from talking about them. Winning still has to be important for this group.