Greg Anthony gives important perspective on Orlando Magic’s growth

It is easy to give in to the frustration of the season.

The Orlando Magic’s record is not ideal. As expected, the team has struggled and dropped to the bottom of the standings. There have been losing streaks and some really frustrating play.

The results, at least for the short term, have not been there for Orlando. And it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Injuries are certainly part of that equation. The Magic are still missing two key starters in Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac. The team will not be able to truly evaluate what it has until they — along with Jalen Suggs — return to the lineup.

Still, it is hard not to get discouraged a little with the team’s record. The Magic have the second-worst record in the league at 5-24 and the worst net rating in the league.

As much as this season is not about the team’s record or even its on-court performance, it is still hard to watch the team struggle with losses. And often not even play close games.

Despite some on-court struggles, the Orlando Magic are seeing some of the growth and progress they hoped for. The outsider perspective says the team is still on the right track for now.

Fans certainly want some signs the team is on the right track. Even if they are still waiting for players to come back from injury and for the team to have its full complement of players.

This is where some perspective is certainly necessary. And let someone who is pretty close to the team provide it.

NBATV analyst, and Magic Dad, Greg Anthony joined the Penny For Your Thoughts Podcast this week to discuss the Magic’s start to the season and his son’s, Cole Anthony, breakout season. The 11-year NBA veteran said he hopes everyone keeps in mind how much this team is still in its beginning phases and learning how to play, much less how to win.

"“That’s how you judge a young player,” Greg Anthony said on the podcast. “It’s not by their floor but by their ceiling. They show you what they can be in this league. And then you look at are they wired for it. Franz is wired for it.“They’ve got, and this is with all due respect to everybody else, they have two foundational pieces [he feels Cole Anthony is the other]. You can take those two young guys at 21 and 20 and put them up against any other duo in the NBA at that age. Any of them. They are right there because they are as complete offensively as anybody. They both compete defensively.“When you put the right pieces around those guys and as they learn to make better decisions, they are going to be scary. They are going to be scary, big picture. I’m excited just watching them grow.”"

That is certainly a very optimistic outlook on the team. But as Greg Anthony put it, they still have a lot to learn. And this season is about learning those things.

What Anthony said you want to see are three or four games that show the players’ ceiling and potential. And then figure out how to accentuate that ceiling once the team has figured out who it will build around.

In that sense, the Magic have already seen some impressive games from Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner. Not to mention guys like Wendell Carter and even Mo Bamba (although later in their careers, there is certainly an expectation for more consistency).

In addition to seeing what the team looks like when Isaac and Fultz return, the Magic have seen some positive improvements from individuals.

Anthony said he has had to retrain himself to watch this team differently than he does as an analyst with NBATV. It is less about what the team is doing to win or lose and more about the improvements players are making game to game.

By Greg Anthony’s telling, the mood in the locker room is still good. The team is still buying into the path the coaching staff has them on and all have the desire to keep working and get better. There is still a lot of desire to improve and play for one another.

This has been a sentiment that coach Jamahl Mosley has echoed too. And it is evident how much the team is still fighting, even if the team is losing games.

Regardless of anything else, the Magic still have a lot to learn. And for now, the team needs to focus on those individual improvements as they continue to come together as a team.

As Anthony put it in the podcast, earlier in the season, the Magic probably had very little chance of winning. But the team is at a point where they are competing for wins on most nights save for maybe a few minutes of poor play (that is often what decides things.

This perspective is really important in a season like this.

Yes, the Magic need to win to show progress at some point. And probably by the time the team is healthy and toward the end of the season, the Magic would like to see them winning more often.

But this is all part of the process of growth. And everyone has to stick with the process for now.