3 thoughts on the Orlando Magic’s humbling homestand

1. Are they closer to bottoming out than we think?

We have touched on this subject already, but it is something we will come back to repeatedly over the course of the year. With the Orlando Magic doing little to show they can string wins together and move up the standings in a meaningful way, at what point do they pull the plug and try and get the highest draft pick possible?

The early season over-achievements of the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder have helped the Orlando Magic’s cause here, and we all know that waiting at the NBA Draft Lottery this year is the opportunity to select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick.

The bottom three teams now all get an equal 14-percent chance at that pick, and even when they have been trying to win the Magic have been around that mark.

The fans turn up in their droves to watch Banchero but will have taken comfort in seeing the group get some wins without his talent. They know he is going to be special and yet did not seem too upset that an ankle sprain caused him to miss four games (and counting), as well as lose his grip on the top of the Rookie of the Year standings.

Everybody thought the Magic would be too good to be quite this bad, and yet here we are. Injuries have been a significant reason for the failure to launch, but this is the reality the organization are now living in. If seven games at home is not enough to add some wins, when exactly is that period going to come?

They still have to play the Philadelphia 76ers twice this month, and go to Brooklyn to face the Brooklyn Nets shortly after. There is a tough four-game road trip right before Christmas, and before you know it the All-Star game will be approaching.

Accepting defeat this early in the season is never a good thing, and they shouldn’t do that. But having a real chance at Wembanyama is too great to not take seriously.