Orlando Magic Daily
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5 questions for the second quarter of the Orlando Magic’s 2023 season

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Franz Wagner was brilliant in leading the undermanned Orlando Magic to a gutsy home win over the Dallas Mavericks. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Franz Wagner was brilliant in leading the undermanned Orlando Magic to a gutsy home win over the Dallas Mavericks. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic tried to temper expectations. This was a year to improve and get better — to “level up” as they all said — but it was not a year where they were putting the specific expectations of reaching the play-in tournament or playoffs.

Aside from Markelle Fultz cryptically tweeting “4th seed” in August and Gary Harris, the veteran of the team, specifically saying he believed this team has Playoff potential.

That was more than enough for fans to take the ball and run. Especially once they got their first look at first-overall pick Paolo Banchero and this team. It was clear this team had something to hang onto and some talent to build with.

Impatience is probably the biggest thing holding this team back.

Impatience to make the right play offensively, leading to a ton of turnovers. Impatience to see a young team learn how to win. Impatience waiting on injured players to return.

All of these are part of the story for the Magic in the first quarter of the season. A frustrating 5-16 through the first 21 games and another sink to the bottom of the standings.

The Orlando Magic had a frustrating start to their season. But there is hope for a stronger second quarter as the team gets healthier and more comfortable playing together.

It is hardly enough to say the team is completely out of any postseason hopes. But the odds of it happening are slim. It will take an impressive turnaround and improvement.

One that may well come as the team gets healthier — only Franz Wagner and Bol Bol played all 21 games to start the season with Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac missing the entire first quarter, Gary Harris not returning until 17 games into the season, Cole Anthony getting hurt four games into the season and Jalen Suggs going in and out of the lineup with ankle injuries.

That was the overarching story for the first quarter of the season. Injuries and who was missing were a big part of the story for a young team trying to find its way.

But the team still needed to find its way and establish its culture. There were sign the team was doing this until the injuries seemed to overwhelm them. And now the Magic are searching for that fight all over again.

It was a mixed bag for the entire first quarter of the season, oscillating between the extreme promise of from Banchero and Wagner along with the frustration of a young team struggling to cement an identity to build off.

It is just one-quarter of the season. And there is a long way to go and a lot more the team can learn. And the next 20 games will go a long way to cementing this team’s path.