Orlando Magic see great things despite franchise-worst start

When the Orlando Magic are excited, they let everyone know about it. Even if it seemingly rubs people the wrong way.

A big dunk by Wendell Carter over Giannis Antetokounmpo brought an injured Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony off the bench in a symphony of jumping in celebration. The broadcasters on the Milwaukee Bucks’ side thought it was a little overkill.

Moritz Wagner got himself in trouble Saturday night when he flexed and celebrated an and-one finish late in the game from rookie Jalen Suggs. Luka Doncic took exception to it and they both picked up a technical foul for good measure.

These moments might seem innocuous. It is a young team enjoying every little moment of the process and sometimes letting their exuberance get the best of them. That happens.

But what also happened is that these two moments of celebration came in the midst of blowout losses. That is an unfortunate reality of a rebuilding team. There has to be a lot of learning in losing.

It still should not be this bad.

The Orlando Magic are out to a franchise-worst start. But you would not know it talking to the team. They have been about the work and believe they are on the right path.

Orlando’s 7-34 record at the season’s midpoint was the worst in franchise history.

The Orlando Magic’s win on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets was a needed relief and breakthrough from a few weeks of close-game disappointments. But it still has not changed the overall prospects for the team — their 8-36 record is the franchise’s worst through 44 games.

While there are plenty of concerns about the slow start the team has gotten off to — recognizing injuries and the hole the roster put itself in at the start of the rebuild with a rookie coach at that — the general feeling is certainly not one of negativity.

The feeling around the team is one of eager growth, not of despair or total frustration. Despite the franchise’s worst midseason mark, the Magic continually see and preach their bright future.

"“We continue to celebrate our small successes with this locker room,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after the team’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 5. “You talk about the game of runs and our guys do a phenomenal job of continuing to stay with each other no matter what is going on with the game. Our spirits are going to stay up because we know we’re going to get to work tomorrow and get after it every single day and continue to get better night in and night out.”"

That is what a young team like the Magic have to do. They cannot get discouraged and immerse themselves in the process. Everyone knew this would be a tough season. Even intense competitors like NBA players.

Not where they want to be

The Orlando Magic are not where they envision themselves.

Entering Sunday’s games, the Magic rank 29th in the league in net rating (-9.1 points per 100 possessions), 28th in offensive rating (103.1 points per 100 possessions) and 25th in defensive rating (112.2 points allowed per 100 possessions).

The team is apparently trending in the right direction though. A small measure of progress, though.

In the team’s last 10 games, the Magic are 26th in net rating (-7.8 points per 100 possessions), 28th in offensive rating (104.8 points per 100 possessions) and 17th in defensive rating (112.6 points allowed per 100 possessions).

Individual players have stepped up in the process too. Franz Wagner has made his claim to a big part of the team’s future with his Rookie of the Month performance. Cole Anthony got off to a blistering start before injuries began to slow him down.

Those are encouraging steps. But they are indeed very small ones. It is all the team has to hang onto as they try to prepare for their future.

"“It’s all part of the process,” Anthony said after the loss to the 76ers on Jan. 5. “Every team is going to have their struggles. For us, we’re all so young, we have a bunch of time to build. We are given an opportunity now to get all the ugly out. That’s one of the good parts of this. We have a chance to figure this stuff out, play through our mistakes and learn the nuances of the NBA game. We’re going to get better.”"

The Magic keep saying the right things and believing there are those brighter days ahead. All they can do is put their heads down and work.

Doing the work

If there is some solace, that is what Jamahl Mosley has carved his career with.

While there are still plenty of questions about his game management and abilities as a head coach — things even he admits he is learning and improving upon — Mosley has made his name in the league as a player development coach.

This is the kind of work he relishes. And ultimately how the Orlando Magic are going to get judged this season by how each player improved individually.

Mosley has put the focus on that work and staying in the grind as a way to keep improving and growing this team.

It is an attitude that has clearly permeated the roster, even if the results do not show it. The most encouraging sign for the team is that despite the team’s poor record and overall struggles, everyone still seems bought in and working toward that bigger goal.

That was something new players learned when they arrived as part of the team’s additions during the team’s COVID outbreak. Players who arrived not only jumped right in to make an impact for the Magic, but they noted how the team was focused on that work to do the right things.

The work is the thing for the Magic.

"“Just keep working,” veteran guard Gary Harris said. “That’s all you can do. We have a work team. We have a work coaching staff. Every day we’re coming in working to get better. When you have an environment like that, it can be tough at times when you lose. When you are around guys who constantly put in the work and constantly believe in themselves and constantly want to get better, it makes the environment way better. You know if you keep staying the course, good things are going to come.”"

Winning is still important to this team. Even if it is just building winning habits.

They have all tried to keep the focus on the big pictures and the bricks the team is laying through this season. Still, everyone wants to find some results in the process.

Putting the pieces together

If winning is an important result of all the hard work, fans are right to ask when those wins will become more frequent. Nobody may be expecting this team to be at .500. But nobody also expected this team to have one of the worst records in franchise history either.

That breakthrough may still be coming with players returning from injury. And now with the team getting closer in games, it is easy to see how the team could find that breakthrough again.

Jamahl Mosley and several players have pointed out that as a sign of progress. And indeed, the Magic have played “clutch” games (within five points in the final five minutes) just 19 times this season, going 5-14. Eight of those have come in the last 15 games, meaning 11 have come in the previous 29 games.

Orlando is still learning how to close games. That is an important next step for the team. As is playing a full 48-minute to win more comfortably, as they did in Friday’s win.

The Magic feel they are close because of how close these games are. They just need the experience to finish them out.

"“Honestly, it’s all experience it’s all learning,” Terrence Ross said. “Everybody goes through this. Everybody at some point in their career goes through ups and downs like this. I think it will be good for the young guys. After a while, there won’t be too many situations they haven’t seen. We’re getting better day by day, but there is still more work to do.”"

The team still needs that breakthrough though. they still need that hint of consistency. And yes, they need to win.

All the positive vibes and statements of growth do not make a difference without the results that follow. That is, after all, what the team is building toward.

The team has kept a positive attitude to its work. Wendell Carter said the veteran players have made it known that the team is doing the right things and that if they keep working, the results will follow.

That takes a lot of faith for sure. A faith some Magic fans may not completely have after nearly a decade of struggling to break out of a rebuilding mode.

Trusting the work

In the second half of the season, the Orlando Magic have to see more of those results and begin to see everything come together.

For now, that means putting in and trusting the work.

"“For our team with this spirit that we have, we continue to work,” Jamahl Mosley said last week. “Today, We won today. You win today in practices and you win it in film sessions. Walking into a game, you give yourself the best opportunity each and every night. I think that’s what these guys are continuing to understand. if we trust the process and what we’re doing and not skipping steps, that’s what we’re doing.”"

Whether that will work is yet to be seen for sure. And it will certainly take some faith to get there.

The Magic feel they are on the right path. The results just are not there to prove it.

Not yet, at least.