The Orlando Magic are coming.
Everyone seems to recognize this young Magic team has a lot going for them. Paolo Banchero is a star in the making and already getting recognized by the elite forwards in the league, not to mention the elder players of his hometown in Seattle. Franz Wagner continues to turn heads with his international play.
And that does not get into the young players that dot the roster that seem poised to take steps forward for the team.
Even the national media is starting to take notice. Nobody is ready to go all-in on the Magic being the team to beat in the Eastern Conference or a fast riser, but everyone from the betting lines to ESPN are willing to say they will be in the running for the Play-In Tournament — even if the betting lines put the Magic’s over/under at 36.5 and ESPN has the Magic at 38 wins.
It should be a fun season for Orlando one way or another with the team poised to take that next step.
The Orlando Magic are clearly one of the teams on the rise throughout the Eastern Conference. The matchups that matter are the ones that will be must-see TV sooner than later.
Of course, the Magic’s national TV schedule would not suggest they are one of those teams on the rise. When the schedule came out last week, the Magic received only five national TV appearances and four of them were on NBATV.
The team can look forward to a TNT home game at least against the Oklahoma City Thunder in February, even if it is a Tuesday TNT game.
The Magic really are not alone among the young teams eager to take over the league with LeBron James and Stephen Curry entering the twilight of their careers who are not going to find themselves on national TV. There are future stars in this league who are eager to take that next step who might be doing it in anonymity.
After all, even the Denver Nuggets seemed to catch the wider world by surprise when they made their run to the title last year. That is neither here nor there though. We can debate how the NBA makes their national TV schedules another day.
Today is the day to think about the matchups the Magic will face that one day could be playoff battles and more. Who are the teams and the stars that will make up the league and become the Magic’s rivals as they too make their way up the standings? What are the games that could be the seedlings for the Eastern Conference’s future?
Those are the games we want to highlight today. These are the games that are must-see TV now and will be must-see TV for years to come.