Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag: Halfway through Year 1

The Orlando Magic’s season is really anything you want it to be at this point. That is the beauty of entering a season with low expectations.

If you believe the Magic’s goal is player development, there is plenty of that  If you are skeptical of any rebuild or scarred from the last decade of cycles of rebuilds that never got the team out of the first round of the playoffs — and barely in the playoffs those two years anyway.

Nearing the midpoint of the season, the Magic have seen everything it feels like.

There were the insane number of injuries that have made evaluating anything extremely difficult. There have been their share of blowouts. Some standout wins. But mostly a lot of inconsistency.

The kind of inconsistency you would expect from a young team at that. Orlando knew it would take its lumps this year. And indeed the Magic have.

As we get closer to the midpoint of the season, it is time to open up the Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag and answer your questions.

This is a zero-sum business. Teams are ultimately judged on their record. And despite all the positive feelings about several players growing and developing, this team has the worst 39-game record in franchise history at 7-32.

Nobody wants this, of course. Losses are frustrating, even if they are coming as part of the understandable growing pains.

Yet, despite this, the team still seems to have some immaculate vibes. There is a ton of optimism about the way players are developing. And the Magic still seem to be fighting and pulling for each other, even without the results to back them up.

Cole Anthony came out of the gates fast and has given the Magic a dynamic guard who can score, something the team has not had in a long time.

Franz Wagner has put in his candidacy for the Rookie of the Year Award, seeming to unveil some new development in his game at every turn. He has quickly vaulted himself into one of the key players for the team moving forward.

Wendell Carter has been a solid post defender with an expanding offensive game. Plenty of other players have been exciting and intriguing whether it is R.J. Hampton’s flashes of control or Chuma Okeke’s flashes of his shooting. Not to mention how Gary Harris and Terrence Ross shook off rough starts of the year to be veteran leaders on the floor.

And this is all without Jalen Suggs on the court very much after he fractured his thumb. Let alone the still-awaited returns of Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz.

It has been an eventful first half of the season for that reason. Really it has been a first half of the season though anticipating this second half of the season.

Everyone is waiting for Fultz and Isaac inevitably to return (Fultz appears closer). Everyone is eager to see how players improve and end the season. Everyone is curious what next steps the Magic will take to rebuild their team at the trade deadline. And everyone is wondering who gets added next with the high draft pick the Magic appear lined up for at this point.

There are a lot of questions about where the Magic go here. With a month to go before the trade deadline and the midpoint of the season on the horizon, it is time to dust out the Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag once again.

Send me your Magic questions via e-mail at omagicdaily@gmail.com, on Twitter @omagicdaily or in the comments below. We will come back and answer your pressing Magic questions as the season continues.

I look forward to answering all of your questions!