The past couple of nights we have seen some franchises get over the hump in the Play-In Tournament.
The scenes in Minneapolis and New Orleans especially showed how meaningful these games can be to communities and teams. Long-suffering, and often criticized fan bases, showed up and created a true playoff atmosphere. Nobody should have blamed Patrick Beverley for dancing on the scorer’s table and celebrating the cathartic win for that team.
The playoffs are still ahead. But the second year of the Play-In Tournament has cemented its importance and its seriousness for the teams competing in them.
Many Orlando Magic fans may watch this and think: How far off are we from this level?
Despite having the second-worst record in the NBA, the Magic are closer to competing in the league’s Play-In Tournament than many may be led to believe.
The Play-In Tournament has captivated NBA fans this season. The Orlando Magic, despite one of the worst records in the league, are not as far from these moments as you might believe.
If we break it down by franchise there are some interesting things to pull away.
Comparing the Brooklyn Nets to the Orlando Magic would be unfair. Brooklyn had no business being in the play-in this season. But injuries kept Kevin Durant off the floor. Kyrie Irving was unable to play most of the season because of his decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. And James Harden was . . . James Harden in all the bad ways he has been.
The Nets were a team that fell from grace and were clawing to hang on just to make the playoff field. Many still consider them title contenders even with their low seed.
You could list the Atlanta Hawks here too, as they were built organically through the draft and free agency. But they are multiple steps ahead of the Magic and even made the conference finals last season. The Hawks too suffered injuries — John Collins is still out — as the team struggled to recapture what worked so well last year.
Progress is rarely linear and teams go through ups and downs year to year.
The best comparison for the Orlando Magic is to look at what has happened with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Most notably, how their talent was acquired. Their story is the easiest rebuild model for a young team.
Minnesota drafted Anthony Edwards in 2020 and Karl-Anthony Towns five seasons before that — both as the No. 1 overall pick. They acquired D’Angelo Russell via trade two seasons ago, swapping former top draft pick Andrew Wiggins and another first-round pick (that would become Jonathan Kuminga).
I list all of this to map out the simple fact the Timberwolves were able to rebuild without a significant free agency signing. Sure, they added tertiary pieces to their roster through free agency, but the core pieces here were drafted and developed organically – or traded for with smart, simple deals.
Now let’s look back at the Magic. What did they decide to do at the 2021 trade deadline? Tear it all down and build it back up.
The Nikola Vucevic trade netted a great return – Wendell Carter has been blossoming in Orlando and one of the draft picks acquired in that deal was used to select Franz Wagner, one of the best rookies of this last class.
This also goes without mentioning the top-4 protected first-round pick the Magic are owed next season from the Bulls.
The Aaron Gordon trade brought back potential in R.J. Hampton, some veteran structure in Gary Harris and a future first-round pick. Another smart deal.
On the back of a couple of smart deals, the next big part of a rebuild is hitting on draft picks, or at least a few of them.
The Magic have done a good to a great job in the draft the past few summers too.
Cole Anthony looks to be a great value with the 15th pick in 2020, especially if you look at some of the names ahead of him.
For the last draft, we know that Franz Wagner was a steal at No. 8 as he looks to be a long-term starter with All-Star upside.
Jalen Suggs is the big question mark here but has still shown promise. Injuries and cold shooting derailed good chunks of his season.
Fans were ecstatic when he dropped to the Magic and I think there is still reason for excitement, but Suggs’ development timeline may just require a little more patience.
Speaking of the draft, the Orlando Magic have another golden opportunity at finding a franchise centerpiece.
If the ping pong balls bounce favorably, the Magic will be looking at another top pick. Hopefully, this time it falls in the top three. This goes without saying how huge a number one pick would be.
A chance at Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith or Chet Holmgren would really pour gas on this rebuild.
And that is sometimes how rebuilds go. It is more like a 50-50 raffle than it is an exact science. If a franchise can give itself as many chances at All-NBA talent as possible, one time it has to work out.
It is easy to see Orlando has a lot to work with. And if the right pieces fall in place, things could turn very quickly. The uncertainty of adding the right talent and waiting for young players to grow and improve has been the most difficult part so far.
Like in Minnesota, for every Andrew Wiggins, there is an Anthony Edwards. Your next franchise star may just be one lottery away.
How far off are the Magic?
It comes down to development. The Timberwolves have that guy. Actually, they have two of them, with a third bucket-getter right behind them.
The Atlanta Hawks have their centerpiece and even the Cleveland Cavaliers, who will host the Hawks for the 8-seed on Friday, and the Charlotte Hornets have top-level guys, despite their disappointing showings in Play-In Tournament.
If the Magic plan on making the play-in and competing for the playoffs, they need one player, or two, to make the leap this upcoming season.
The team already has plenty of supporting-level talent and role players in the mix. Wendell Carter is an above-average big — someone president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman claims is already a top-10 center in the league. Mo Bamba has continued to improve as a rim protector and shooter and presents difficult choice for the team in restricted free agency this summer. Markelle Fultz has shown great flashes when he is available.
It is simply a void when it comes to All-NBA level talent. As Weltman told Mike Bianchi on Open Mike earlier this week, sometimes it takes a little while for a star to emerge. But it is clear the team knows that is the missing piece.
It is hard not to watch the celebration in Minnesota and not want the same for the Magic. We saw glimpses of a raucous crowd in Amway Center, ironically when playing the Timberwolves in March.
When the Magic are able to get over the hump and see real playoff success from this rebuild, it will all be worth it.
The Magic are closer to that than you might think. A couple of things need to bounce Orlando’s way and the patience will really pay off.