Rebuild Check In: Orlando Magic players improving as rebuild gets going

The Orlando Magic have made it pretty clear their record is not the measure of their success.

The fact not only the coaches, but the players are seemingly taking on this message is a sign they understand the bigger picture ahead of them.

Whether they can climb out of the rebuilding phase to something more competitive will depend on this work, this belief and, perhaps, a little bit of luck when the Lottery occurs.

It takes some incredible maturity and vision to take what they can from the losses today understanding that a great horizon is out there.

Just listen to Jalen Suggs, the player many Magic fans was the stroke of luck the team needed when at least so far that has seemed to be his fellow rookie Franz Wagner, in an interview with Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer:

"“We take the highs for what they are,” Suggs said. “You gotta go through those lumps, rebuild and restore what you had. We’re going through that right now. What keeps me up is the people we have around. The staff in the locker room. We got a lot of young guys who are hungry to get better. We work really hard together and really push each other. We’re not taking losing as a loss but as part of the process, something you can learn from.”"

Right now, nobody is putting pressure on these young players to do anything more than improve day to day.

Soon, too, the team will begin enacting one of its other goals: To reintegrate players out with long-term injuries into the lineup. Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac are looming in their returns to the lineup.

The Orlando Magic have struggled record-wise, but there are enough positive signs to feel encouraged about their rebuild. Especially when looking at individual player growth.

There is no pressure from management or even fans to win at a high level. It will not be long until fans start getting slightly annoyed with the team’s wins, as is the nature and fan culture of the NBA at the bottom of the standings.

This team is so young that any experience on the court together will be seen as a positive one. And winning is part of improvement, even if that stage and expectation comes much later.

In this first year of a new rebuild, it is a bit difficult to get a gauge of the team’s progress. Perhaps it can be better served to use some comparisons to other rebuilding teams at the same stage as the Magic.

Comparing rebuilds is always tricky and dangerous though. Each team’s situation is different — both from the trade that spawned the rebuild itself to the luck they get in the Draft Lottery.

But, for now, it gives us some snapshots of the Magic at this early stage.

Andrew Bailey of Bleacher Report will periodically release the averages of every qualified player in a group of catch-all statistics. This gives at least a small glance at where players rank in comparison to one another and a measure of the team’s talent levels.

Here are the Magic’s latest rankings:

At the last update a few weeks ago, the Magic had three players in the top-100. For a team with just six wins, that is a pretty good sign the team has some talent to work with.

That is probably the biggest takeaway of the season so far. Orlando has some really intriguing players who have grown throughout the season.

Whether that is Cole Anthony emerging as a legitimate clutch threat and potential 20-point scorer or the solid play they have gotten from Wendell Carter. Or that surprising turn from Franz Wagner, especially as the team has had to lean on him more and more with all the injuries.

And, yeah, talented players like Isaac and Fultz are still waiting in the wings along with Suggs as they recover from their injuries.

All those catch-all rankings can be imperfect too. So do not take any of it as gospel.

R.J. Hampton has shown plenty of improvement too. And Terrence Ross and Gary Harris are certainly playing a lot better than a bottom-of-the-league player of late. Both players are weighed down with difficult starts to their season.

But it still lays clear part of the Magic’s problem is the lack of depth. And now the injuries further put the team in the hole.

The main takeaway though in comparing the Magic to their rebuilding peers is how the Magic have had some of their young players break through and rank highly in these metrics.

Comparing the Orlando Magic to other rebuilding teams like the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons reveals different outlooks and expectations for how the rest of the season might go.

Neither team, despite the Rockets’ long win streak, has had quite the individual breakthroughs the Magic appear to be having at this stage.

Take a look at Houston’s rankings:

The Rockets certainly should be pleased with the emergence of Alperen Sengun as a rookie. Having any rookie crack the top-100 players in the league by statistical measures should be seen as a victory. Although nobody is probably envisioning him as a centerpiece player.

Houston is really waiting on Jalen Green to get himself going and return from injury. If there was any disappointment about that the team’s winning streak it was that Green was largely absent from it and it was a veteran like Eric Gordon leading the way through it.

The Rockets still feel ripe for some change.

But the key difference with them, is they have only one player ranking in the 300s while the Magic have three — and Chuma Okeke is nearly there. The Magic are suffering from some players who are really struggling to produce and that has consistently put them in a hole their young starters are not always able to dig out of.

That might explain the differences in records but still the optimism about the team.

The Pistons present a similar difference:

The Pistons are seeming in the opposite spot.

Cade Cunningham is starting to emerge as a legitimate playmaker and difference-maker just as the team would hope. But his early-season struggles are still weighing him down some. It would not be surprising to see him continue to rise these lists and improve.

That is really what the Pistons’ season is about. But it does not feel like they have many other players beyond him. Detroit is reportedly shopping Jerami Grant and otherwise, the team is full of role players or bit players.

In that sense, the Pistons and Rockets seem to be set up for the late-season swoons that put them in a better draft position than the Magic.

Orlando has better individual players at the top right now. And the Magic have some good players set to return very soon. That certainly feels like it will push the rebuild to go a bit faster as the Magic determine who they want to keep.

And several of those players who struggled earlier in the season are starting to play a lot better. It makes everyone wonder what this Magic team will look like when they are healthy.

Paradoxically, that could lock the Magic out of the top picks in the Draft. In many ways, the team is doing its late-season tanking now knowing an easier schedule and key players are returning later in the season.

That is not to say Orlando will not end up in line for a top-5 pick in what is turning into a solid draft class. The Magic still need an influx of talent. That is the biggest thing that is clear about all these teams.

And ultimately, every team needs its star. That is the part that remains unclear about this team. Although Orlando has plenty of candidates — from rookies like Suggs and Wagner to the sudden emergence of Anthony — no true franchise cornerstone star has emerged. Just some players the Magic want to keep developing.

As rebuilds go though, the Magic have to be very encouraged with how this first year has gone so far. Young players are improving, the team is still grinding and fighting together (even through all the injuries and absences) and there is still more to come.

The next check-up later in the season should focus on playing style and identity. But for now, Orlando should feel it has gotten off to a good start.