The Orlando Magic feel they are close to their breakthrough into the postseason.
The front office may not be ready to admit that fully, but the players are clearly talking about the Magic’s chances of making the postseason. They want to level up and there is seemingly only one place to level up to.
The Magic’s draft was focused on adding long-term talent to the team. Yes, they want that talent to contribute to the team’s overall vision including their short-term goals, but those were long-term plays for the franchise and for the team.
Free agency, which begins Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. ET, will be the Magic’s time to try to round out their roster and have it ready for the steps the team hopes to take next season. And there are always trades working in the background.
There are a lot of ways to attack free agency for sure.
The Orlando Magic are preparing for free agency and the chance to add some key players to their roster. Where should they look? We look to their lineups to help us find the needs and trouble spots on the roster.
There is simply going for upgrades and trying to improve off what is already on the team. The Magic could certainly do that. But they seem fairly locked up at both forward spots and are still fairly deeply invested in both point guard and center with Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter.
Then that gets into the guard depth the Magic have built after drafting Anthony Black and Jett Howard. Orlando may not be looking to make straight upgrades to the starting lineup. The focus this offseason seems to be put on improving the team’s overall depth to give their young players a better chance to thrive in a winning environment.
There is always looking at team needs like grabbing veterans to support these young players, finding shooting or more adequate rim protection. The kind of things that will become clearer after the Magic’s first playoff trip and the flaws that postseason exposes.
There is another way perhaps to look at the team’s needs and weak spots — and that is looking back at the team’s most-used lineups from last year.
The Magic are a team that loves to mix and match lineups. They have the ability to deploy players in different roles. But figuring out the best way to get the most of their team is still the challenge. Especially with Orlando likely to bring back most of last year’s roster while integrating a few new players.
So where are the weak spots and what kind of players could make them work? Let’s dive into the Magic’s most-used lineups.