Orlando Magic are not letting injuries define their season, growth

Orlando Magic fans have been through a lot when it comes to injuries and how it has affected the team.

After an unusually healthy season in 2019 that saw the team break through and make the playoffs, the team has seemingly only been held back by the injuries they have faced.

The team survived a long run of injuries — including the initial knee injury to Jonathan Isaac — to make the playoffs in 2020. But as even then-coach Steve Clifford would note injuries in the bubble derailed any hopes they had for a surprise run — starting with Jonathan Isaac’s torn ACL, but continuing with injuries to Aaron Gordon (that caused him to miss the playoffs), Evan Fournier and Michael Carter-Williams.

Orlando started the pandemic-shortened 2021 season well enough. But Markelle Fultz’s torn ACL early in the season derailed any hopes they had of success. The Magic pulled the plug and started over at the trade deadline.

That did not stop the injuries in 2022. The Magic have lost the most games to injury of any team in the last two years running.

The 2023 season has not gotten off to a good start on that front either. The Magic are again leading the league in games lost to injury.

They have already established a “usual five” that is out too for an extended period of time.

Injuries are again a big question facing the Orlando Magic as they try to reach their potential. But so far this season, absences have not stopped the team from playing well and growing.

The Magic can certainly claim injury as an excuse for their poor record. They have been missing a full lineup of rotation-caliber players for most of the season. On top of that, they have had so many injuries to their guards, that they have had to be willing to experiment and change their lineups to make up for this absence.

Frustration remains with the speed at which players are making it back — more than a few players have been out far longer than the typical time absence. And several players appear to be nearing their returns.

But this is ultimately a good thing for the Magic and their overall growth.

If this season is about developing and pushing the limits for several of the team’s young players, then this time without parts of the roster are valuable information-gathering and role-testing.

Orlando will be better having injured players back on the floor — especially starter-level players like Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris — but the team has done well not to let these injuries define the season so far.

If anything, Orlando has proven it is capable of winning with the roster it has now. The team has underperformed with all the close games it has been in. And this group is starting to put some of those pieces together to be more competitive, learning how to play with the team it has.

The Magic have played in 10 games that qualified for clutch minutes, one of four teams in the league to play 10 or more so far this season. Orlando is just 2-8 in those games. Certainly having better depth or a point guard like Fultz who can control the pace would lead to more wins, but it has also been valuable for the Magic to have to learn their way through these games.

The injuries have put the ball in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner’s hands and forced them to make plays late in games. They have had their successes and failures in that setting, but that is also the only way to grow.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then the injuries have also forced Orlando to try out some different lineups and press further on the team’s strengths. Starting Bol Bol alongside the Magic’s other big wings has proven to be a solid tactic to throw teams off especially early in games.

It has also forced the Magic to use both Wagner and Banchero as the team’s de facto point guards. Both have had some struggles with the responsibilities of bringing the ball up the court and initiating the offense. But it has also helped boost their playmaking and attacking instincts.

They certainly will not settle in as the Magic ‘s lead ball handlers, especially when Fultz comes back. But the Magic have made it clear they want to be a by-committee, versatile team with everyone capable of playing everywhere on the floor.

If Orlando wants to be slow in bringing players back, especially from long-term injuries, it might well be because they are interested in seeing how far these kinds of experiments can go as they evaluate their roster. There is no rush to end some of these experiments when they can bring players back for the long term.

It has certainly taken some time for everyone to get adjusted. The road-heavy start to the season prevented much time from getting in the gym and getting to work to tighten up defenses or refine some things.

It is no coincidence the Magic are finding a lot more success during this seven-game homestand. Orlando will have to learn how to take this kind of play on the road assuming they have a strong finish in these final two games at Amway Center this week.

But the team has carved out a clearer identity and a way they want to play. The team has been able to do this no matter who is in or out of the lineup. That has been a good thing for the team as they grow and develop.

Magic players will often say they have the cliched “next man up” mentality. That is a survival thing in a long NBA season. But a necessary thing to have with everything the team has faced.

The Magic will reintegrate injured players and be better for it soon.

This past week brought some updates on where players are at. While coach Jamahl Mosley will continue to say players are going through their rehab process and progressing, players spoke directly to Khobi Price with more concrete updates on their recovery.

Isaac is doing 5-on-5 work with coaches as he rebuilds conditioning ahead of his long-awaited return to the court.

Fultz is out of his boot after breaking his toe before training camp and is doing some light on-court work as he waits for final scans confirming his fracture has completely healed. Fultz is hoping for a return in 3-4 weeks.

Harris is also doing 5-on-5 work with coaches and has started doing work pregame on the main court, a sign he is inching closer to his return from a torn meniscus.

But as always, there are few timelines for player recoveries. The Magic do not want to commit too much or put pressure on players to speed up their recoveries. The goal remains for those players to return for good once they get the final bill of health.

Until then, the games will continue. And the Magic players who are available will have to manage.

Injuries have been a clear story this season for Orlando. But the team is not letting it define the season or change the expectations they have for themselves. It certainly has not slowed their growth.