3 Orlando Magic players who will decide the season

The Orlando Magic return to action Thursday when they take on the Detroit Pistons at home. A sneaky big game, as they have gone 0-2 against the struggling Pistons this season.

That will begin a 23-game sprint to the end of the regular season, one which fans will be hoping culminates in a spot in the Play-In Tournament.

In order for the organization to achieve this, a lot is going to have to go right for them.

In their defense, they will have been boosted by the Chicago Bulls’ struggles and Kevin Durant departing the Brooklyn Nets for the Phoenix Suns.

Ultimately, the Orlando Magic’s journey to the Play-In Tournament will be about them and whether they can go on a win streak to make up the four games separating them from the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors for that final spot.

Internally, there are three individuals who are going to play a big part in deciding how close the Orlando Magic get to the goal of making the Play-in.

While Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are obviously crucial to everything the franchise does, it is going to take a lot more than the team’s stars to get the job done. Everyone is going to have to step up to make this  push, as critical as Banchero and Wagner are.

Both Wagner and Banchero experienced slumps this year, and we all know they are the best two players the Magic have. It is a given that they have to be at their best in order for the team to do well.

If the following three individuals can raise their game, however, then the Magic will arrive at the Play-in full of confidence and ahead of schedule.

3 Orlando Magic players who will decide the season

3. Jonathan Isaac

Jonathan Isaac is now back in the rotation for the Magic, after more than two years out injured. Although he has yet to feature in a back-to-back, he has already shown more than enough glimpses of the player he was before going down.

Isaac is managing just more than 10 minutes per contest, but having now played in 10 games he is heading in the right direction.

Even more encouraging are the defensive numbers, and they are the reason Isaac makes this list.

The sample size may still be small, but the Magic have a defensive rating of 106.8 when Isaac is on the court. That would be by far and away the best mark in the league if it applied to the team as a whole.

Even in the month of February, where the Magic rank fourth in defensive rating at 108.8, they look miles better when Isaac is on the court. The only issue now is taking the training wheels off and having him play more.

Jonathan Isaac arrives at the perfect time for the franchise, because they have cut ties with Mo Bamba and we know that Bol Bol is extremely limited defensively.

So Isaac’s abilities mean he can cover a small amount of Wendell Carter’s minutes, and play alongside him to really slow opponents down.

If Isaac can stay on the court, average 15-18 minutes a game and keep that same defensive energy, the Magic will be in great shape the rest of the way.

3 Orlando Magic players who will decide the season

2. Head coach Jamahl Mosley

Head coach Jamahl Mosley has to make this list, because as he goes, so does this roster. After a terrible 5-20 start to the season, some began to question if he was the right man for the job.

But Mosley stuck with his beliefs and his vision, and it has started to pay dividends. The biggest criticism of him at this point in the season is some of his baffling in-game decisions.

Whether it is staying with a lineup too long, or not long enough, and putting the ball in the hands of the wrong player late in games, Mosley is still figuring it out.

This group has never been in this position before, where winning would be welcomed. It will be interesting to see how he adapts, and who he trusts to close out games.

It seems likely that coach Mosley was experimenting with lineups and schemes earlier in the season, even if it meant losing games. That will be harder to stomach if the Play-In is within reach.

With the team having a mostly full bill of health, coach Mosley has had the same starting five of Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter begin the last three games.

Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, Moe Wagner and Bol Bol round out the key bench players, with Jonathan Isaac helping when he can and Caleb Houstan and Admiral Schofield sprinkled in occasionally.

This is his group to close out the regular season, and playing to their strengths will be key. He has already figured out a defensive way of playing that works, which is an encouraging sign.

3 Orlando Magic players who will decide the season

1. Markelle Fultz

It has become abundantly clear that Markelle Fultz is the point guard this group needs in order to reach their full potential.

Any discussions about his long-term fit, or how a bigger name like Fred VanVleet may yet usurp him in the lineup this summer, will have to wait until this season is done.

Fultz is clearly having the best year of his career, and he is producing highlight plays on a near-nightly basis at this point.

13.0 points and 5.5 assists per game are both career highs. But they are numbers that will have to improve if the Magic want to make the Play-in.

In February, Fultz has upped his scoring to 16.5 points per game, but shooting 16.7 percent from deep on over one attempt per game has to change.

The “yips” he experienced earlier in his career are no longer an excuse if this team wants to be as good as we know that it can be.

Fultz could do with being more aggressive, but all indicators point to a team that are so much better when he is running the show.

As long as he is at the helm for the remaining regular season games, and if he can reach another level of productivity, then the Magic are in with a real chance at making the Play-in. It starts against the Pistons, and there can be no more slip-ups in their pursuit.