5 decisions the Orlando Magic face entering the 2024 season

5 decisions the Orlando Magic face entering the 2024 season

Who is Playoff ready?

The Orlando Magic may not say anything publicly about their goals and what they expect from this team, but they know the direction they want to go. And this season is as much about figuring out what the team has as much as it is about preparing for that first postseason berth.

Coach Jamahl Mosley said even last year that he was showing playoff clips and trying to prepare his team for the postseason. Everyone remembers him taking a few Orlando Magic players to the Dallas Mavericks’ run to the Western Conference Finals to feel that intensity.

Magic players are openly talking about the postseason and their desire to play in it.

That will be the storyline that will be the undercurrent throughout the season. The Magic will be trying to make the playoffs this season, no matter what they say or do not say. And so part of this season is figuring out whether the team has enough. Especially with some of the contract decisions on the horizon for this team.

Will Markelle Fultz step up his game and his shooting to be the clear answer at point guard? Will Cole Anthony be the solid sixth man and bench scorer the Magic need? Is Wendell Carter going to stand up and be the defensive presence and offensive fulcrum that can anchor a team to the playoffs?

Every player has a question about how they stand up to winning pressure. That is something this team has never experienced. I think the Magic are going to try to relieve this pressure as much as they can — thus the directive to play “better basketball” as opposed to “make the playoffs” — but that pressure is very much there.

These are questions that will not get answered at the start of the season but answered throughout. It is going to be the defining question and story for the season.