Orlando Magic see growth and a big hurdle to clear as second half begins

Wendell Carter and the Orlando Magic know what their record is. They know they have the worst mark in the league and it is not a place they want to be.

The overarching goals for the season may not involve winning as much as individual player development and starting to bring those pieces together. But that should result in winning, right?

At 7-34 at the season’s midpoint, the worst 41-game mark in franchise history, the Magic have a lot to try to pull together.

That will be an important step in the process for the Magic as they continue to grow and build. They are going through the lumps and struggles that all young teams end up going through as they learn to win in the league.

The Orlando Magic are disappointed with the results of the season’s first half, but they still look ahead to the challenges and growth the next 41 games will provide.

The first half of the season was one of continued growth and learning for this young roster. Injuries were a major story for several players on the roster and then a two-week bought with COVID gutted whatever remaining depth the team might have.

Orlando can look back at the first 41 games and point to the growth they have made. And also look ahead knowing there is still a lot more work left to do to make this season a success.

"“First, get some more wins,” Wendell Carter said of the team’s goals for the second half of the season. “Looking at our record, we’re last in the entire NBA right now. That definitely isn’t a good feeling as a competitor.“But something bigger than that, each player growing individually. It’s a team game for sure. But all teams are good once each individual is good at what they do and understands their role. Once we get to that point where everyone is excelling at one or two things in a game, I feel like we’ll be able to pull those things together and make a real dominant team.”"

Everyone within the organization would say they feel a groundswell of energy and feeling of how close this team is to that breakthrough.

The Magic have done a lot of good things and certainly feel like there have been positive steps. But the puzzle pieces have not come completely together.

The team has the worst net rating in the league and is a bottom-five team offensively and just escapes the bottom five defensively. There are signs of small improvements in both facets — still hidden some by the team coming out of its COVID outbreak.

But the Magic seem encouraged by their play recently as a sign of how competitive they can be and how close they are to this breakthrough of consistency, especially as they get fully healthy again.

"“I think continuing to do more of what we’ve shown we’re capable of doing,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of the team’s goals for the second half of the season. “I think these guys are understanding the messages we’re saying. The ability to continue to compete night and night out. To fight for one another. To keep their spirits up. And to continue to empower one another to get better every single night. That competitive spirit and that competitive fight and joy for playing basketball with one another has got to continue.”"

Certainly all the principles Mosley has tried to teach have sunk in at various levels. There are certainly some really strong moments from this young team. But rarely has there been a 48-minute effort or a consistent approach throughout each game.

The team is getting closer to it though of late.

Orlando has been knocking on the door lately especially, playing every game in the last few weeks into the fourth quarter and down to the wire. The Magic are just learning how to finish these games.

The first step is clearly understanding the situations as they arise and growing to understand how to execute in those late-game situations. The failures and struggles

As they prepare for the second half of their season to begin Wednesday in Washington, D.C., this is the biggest hurdle the young Magic have to clear.

"“I think we’re doing a really good job making the best of the situation we’ve been,” Carter said after practice Tuesday. “Especially for how young we are, I think we’re doing a really good job. Our record doesn’t show the progress we’ve been making since the beginning of the year. I’ve been in this situation before and I definitely see a positive upward trend with this team.”"

Getting over that hump is still the most difficult challenge for the team. Once the team gets the taste of a win and closing out a game, it should become easier to repeat it.

It should be easier too when the team gets healthy. Something that very much seems to be in the works.

Carter is still dealing with his sore hamstring. He will go with the team on this road trip and see how he feels before making the call to play Wednesday in Washington, D.C. He remains a game-time decision and day-to-day beyond that.

Similarly, Jalen Suggs practiced with the team for the first time Tuesday since he fractured a bone in his right hand in late November. He is still getting evaluated and getting comfortable, but he could return toward the end of the week as the Magic wrap up this three-game road trip.

And Markelle Fultz is inching back to his return as he continues to practice with the team when they hit the court.

Getting all three of these starter-level players back in the lineup will help the team immeasurably, giving them at the very least more depth and some veteran composure to finish off games.

More than that, these returns will give the team a clearer picture of what the team has to work with and where they can continue to grow. There is a lot to learn about this team in the next 41 games.

Nobody will say the Magic are where they would want to be. Everyone wants to win and there have been their share of disappointing losses this season. Carter said the team has done a good job communicating any frustrations and working together to try to find a way out while coming into the gym focused on improving that day and moving forward.

That is a necessity with a young, rebuilding team. Especially when the game results will not be there. The coaching staff and veteran players have had to do a lot of motivating to keep everyone engaged.

So far, everyone on the team looks engaged and bought into what the team is doing.

Staying with that process and continuing to learn and grow will help them begin to pick up wins and take the tangible steps forward every competitor wants in the second half of the season.