Orlando Magic need to finish their season strong

The Orlando Magic have made it clear this year is not about winning. At least so far.

The team has put the focus on its rebuilding and development. They do not want to measure their success on the team’s record. They know there are going to be struggles with the roster they have.

Instead, coach Jamahl Mosley has put the team’s focus on winning every play.

It is a good place for a young team to start. And that can be important for keeping focus and confidence when everyone knows the team is going to struggle to win.

To Mosley’s credit, the Magic have stuck together. There have only been a few moments of real fracture, but the team has quickly recovered.

The vibes and energy around the team seem good. There is even reporting that Gary Harris and Robin Lopez have no intention to ask for a buyout and want to stick it out with this team. Harris might even end up re-signing this offseason.

Those are all good signs.

But they are just signs. There is nothing tangible to show the Magic’s progress.

The Orlando Magic have done a good job improving individually. But the team needs to tie things together and show a clearer vision for their future success to close this season.

Orlando has about a quarter of the season left. The team still needs to get its injured players back on the floor. And the team has yet to form a discernible identity.

If part of this season was to see the outlines of what this team can become, those outlines are very faint. And the Magic are running out of time to fill those in.

Yes, players have gotten better.

Jalen Suggs has broken free from the early struggles he had in his rookie year and should continue to improve to close the season. Franz Wagner has been outstanding and is pushing for a bigger role. Wendell Carter has been a rock offensively for the team. Cole Anthony has improved his playmaking even as he has struggled to shoot.

There is a lot to be positive about. But it has rarely come together for something consistent. The team is still looking for an identity.

For the season, the Magic rank 28th in the league in offensive rating (103.8 points per 100 possessions ) and 24th in defensive rating (112.4 points allowed per 100 possessions).

The team seemed like it was taking a turn defensively in January, giving up 107.8 points per 100 possessions (seventh in the league for the month). But the team has completely fallen apart on that end in February, giving up 117.0 points per 100 possessions (26th in the league).

Inconsistency is expected for a young team. But the Magic are still seeking an identity.

The team wanted to build on its defense. It was something Orlando drilled hard during training camp. But the team has struggled to break through consistency minus that 15-game stretch in January.

The only thing the Magic have seemingly gotten better of at late is picking up their pace. They are playing at a pace of 99.4 possessions per 48 minutes (10th in the league). But the Magic have only 10.5 fast-break points per game (21st in the league).

Orlando is still figuring out the kind of team it wants to be.

The Magic should be a team whose defense gets stops and generates offense through transition or a heightened pace. The team’s turnovers have made it hard to establish their defense.

Orlando needs something of a reset to get itself right and focused back on those things. The Magic need to start focusing on their keys to victory so they can establish some consistency before the end of the season.

This will be important so that the front office understands the kind of players the young group needs to be more successful moving forward.

Of course, the big storyline the team is waiting on is the return of Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said at the beginning of the season one of the team’s goals was to integrate these players back into the fold.

Fultz has been practicing with the team in some capacity since December but has not hit the floor yet for games. Isaac is behind him, it would appear, in his recovery and return to the court. But he has been on the shelf since surgery in August 2020. On average, both players should be close to returning if not back already.

Orlando has always been extremely cautious when it comes to players returning from long-term injuries. And the team should not let them play until they have full clearance to play.

But it is still really important for them to play. Practice is valuable and they need all the court time they can get. But nothing replaces playing in a game and the unpredictability that comes with it.

So too is it important that they play with the new roster around them and figure out how they fit into this puzzle. As imperfect as the puzzle is now.

It is easy to give a pass to a rebuilding team just awaiting ping pong balls. But the Magic organizationally know that is not enough. No team can count on the Lottery turning their way. And even then, an organizational culture and a pursuit of winning matters.

The team cannot simply excuse losing.

That is what will make the final quarter of this season — the time after the All-Star Break so important. The Magic have not accomplished any of their goals for this season — stated or otherwise. All the team has done is seemingly assured itself of good odds to win the Lottery. That will be important for a team hungry for a star.

But the Magic do not want to be stuck in the ringer of the worst record. The Magic should not have one of the worst records in the league again next season. And the journey out of the basement starts this season.

It has to start this season with these final 20-plus games. Orlando needs to start taking more tangible steps forward.

The Magic cannot drift to the end of the season as a typical tanking team might. The team needs to see some tangible steps forward and some consistency. This is not a point in the season to throw away or do away with.

This is a point in the season to finish strong. This is a point to build some momentum for the offseason. This is a point where the Magic can begin showing what kind of team they can be.

They need to do all of that to make this season a success.