5 Questions for the Second Quarter of the Orlando Magic’s Season
By Isaac Ryu
It is a Magic-al time of the year for the Orlando Magic. Get it?
A time full of questions, comments and concerns. Who? What? Where? When? Why? All of the above.
Lucky for you, the Magic have a ton of those to answer.
However, having a lot of questions is not always a bad thing. It is when those questions go unanswered for around six years where things go downhill.
Orlando is in the first year of its rebuild and knew there would be lumps to take. The Magic have fallen to the bottom of the standings with their worst first-quarter start since the fateful 2004 season that included a 19-game losing streak.
The Magic have had plenty of positive signs. But overall the team has shown its youth and its need to improve its talent as this rebuild begins.
The first quarter of the season has been that much of a mixed bag, even with the lowered expectations for the season.
The Orlando Magic’s first quarter to the season was something of a mixed bag as the team struggled to cement its identity. The next 20 games will be about making progress and eyeing the team’s future.
Now that this roster has had some time on the floor, there are a few key points the Magic will need to address going into the second quarter of the season. The team will have to continue refining its identity and defining who it wants to be on the court while beginning to prepare for the future beyond the 2022 season off it.
With the trade deadline set for Feb. 10, 2022, the Magic find themselves in an in-between position.
They may have too many young players — a good problem to have — to advance the team further in the short term. But they also have decisions to make on some key players that will eat into their long-term flexibility.
At this point, the Magic should be focused on development and identity and just that.
That being said, here are five questions heading into the second quarter of the season that the Magic will need to consider.