3 players the Orlando Magic should cheer for in the playoffs

The Orlando Magic will not be taking part in the Play-In Tournament or NBA playoffs this season. But that does not mean that Magic fans cannot root for certain players.

Although the act of doing so is frowned upon in other sports, particularly outside of the United States, following an event like the postseason when you have no horse in the race can be fun.

Magic fans can now sit back and watch all of the games unfold, knowing their own team is going to come back next season in an even better position than they are already in.

When it comes to choosing who to root for then, who are the players that Orlando Magic fans should be hitching their wagons to?

The answer to this may surprise you, but as ever there is logic to what seems like some strange choices.

How one player and their team fare in defeating another may have a positive impact on the Magic next season and beyond, and it is always nice to support former players who left on good terms.

Here then are three players for Magic fans to get behind starting with the Play-in tournament, as they settle in to watch the second season begin.

3. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

We cannot be serious, can we? LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers? The guy who spent so many years in the Eastern Conference tormenting the Orlando Magic, as well as everybody else.

James boasts a 40-20 record against the Orlando Magic, and during his tenure with the Miami Heat, routinely handed out thorough beatings. Interestingly though, he never beat the Magic in a playoff series.

Why fans should want to get behind him, for one game at least, is because his Los Angeles Lakers will be coming up against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their Play-In game Tuesday night.

The Timberwolves are not in a good place right now, with Rudy Gobert not traveling to Los Angeles after striking out at teammate Kyle Anderson. The trade to get him looking worse by the month.

If James and the Lakers can beat the Timberwolves, their other star players in Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards will ask serious questions about the direction that the franchise is headed. Especially heading into Friday’s elimination game against the up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans or Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Timberwolves are in a dangerous spot in their development. And anything seems like it could be the death blow to this group, making another potential star available on the market.

The Timberwolves are not known for handling their business the right way going back to the Kevin Garnett days, and deep down growing star Anthony Edwards has to know winning at the highest level is unlikely there.

So it may be that the Magic have an unexpected opportunity as soon as this summer to potentially trade for a soon-to-be superstar in Edwards.

They have got the young players, and likely two lottery picks this coming summer as an excellent starting point. A Timberwolves win quells the noise, which is why Magic fans should want James to go off, if only for a single game.

2. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings

On the one hand, it would be hard for Orlando Magic fans to support Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, because he started out his NBA career as a Magic player. At least for a few hours.

Although he was traded before ever even suiting up for the franchise in one of the worst moves the organization has made in the last 10 years, the prospect of what might have been still stings a little.

Sabonis will likely finish in the top 10 in MVP voting this year and has been the catalyst in helping the Kings back to the postseason for the first time since 2006.

It is not as easy as saying that could have been the Magic instead, and the front office likely would not trade one of Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner straight up for him if offered.

Where it gets easier to support Sabonis, and the Kings, is because they are all that is good about basketball. A young group adding a savvy head coach in Mike Brown, as well as trading for Domantas Sabonis, and seeing real results while connecting with a long-dormant but eager fan base.

To add to that, the Kings are most certainly a small market franchise, and like the Magic struggle to attract top free agents to come and play for them.

So a victory for Sabonis and the Kings is a win for the future of the Magic and what that can look like. There is no reason the Magic can’t be the next Kings, and what’s not to like about that?

1. Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls

There can only be one top answer here, and that is former franchise centerpiece Nikola Vucevic. Now with the Chicago Bulls, his time there has not gone as expected.

Orlando Magic fans wished him well in hoping he could compete more seriously in the playoffs with them, while also adding Wendell Carter, Franz Wagner and another lottery pick in the process.

The Magic unequivocally won that trade, and with the Bulls now in the Play-In Tournament, are one step closer to the second lottery pick coming to them this summer as well.

All that is left then is to wish Vucevic the best in his postseason endeavors, starting with a game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

The Raptors may be favored in that one, but the Bulls have looked better in the last six weeks, going 12-8 since March 1. They will at least make it a competitive game.

We know the Bulls will not come close to winning a championship this year, so any big Vucevic games will be celebrated in Florida, because of all that he did for the franchise when he was there.

Zooming out and returning to that much-talked-about pick, and Magic fans should want the Bulls to win both Play-in games to make the playoffs proper, to be sure of landing that top-four protected lottery pick.

Both are crystal clear reasons why Magic fans should be cheering Vucevic above any other player as the postseason gets underway.