As the Orlando Magic began to play in the 2024 calendar year, they were still ambitious with their goals for the season but the vision was fading. There was uncertain work ahead considering this team had never been to the playoffs before.
Their nine-game win streak ended early in December and injuries were starting to slow this young team down. It felt like they were tailing off as they headed out West to celebrate the beginning of a new year.
The Magic still looked like a playoff team, but they showed their inexperience. Everyone settled into their preseason conception of the team—a likely Play-In team that would get their first taste of the postseason. This was not the 2-seed or 3-seed in the East as they were running earlier in the month.
Orlando still had growing pains to come. And that was okay in the end.
Their first win of 2024 revealed what they were made of and that this was a team to reckon with. This year would be a banner year for this young team, and one that everyone would remember.
That first win, of course, was Paolo Banchero’s 32-10-11 triple-double leading an undermanned Orlando Magic team to a 122-120 upset victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. It was a clarifying night that showed this team what was possible and how connected they were.
As they started to get healthier, their ascendance looked more inevitable. And that became what the 2024 calendar year was about.
From that win until the Magic’s final win of 2024—a stunning 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter behind a 22-4 run over the Brooklyn Nets while, again, undermanned with injuries—the Magic made it clear to the league that they had arrived.
Orlando is not merely a coming storm and an up-and-coming team, they are a force making waves in the league now. And this calendar year was a sign of the Magic’s arrival.
The Orlando Magic arrived
The Orlando Magic are not just a team planning for their future, they are a team to reckon with in the present. And they are a team that figures to keep growing and improving.
From their celebratory regular-season-ending win over the Milwaukee Bucks that clinched their spot in the playoff field to their revelatory playoff showing as they pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games, the Orlando Magic made themselves the team of the now.
They did it too with a spirit and joy that was easy to cheer for. They played hounding defense, establishing their identity on that end with a young group. They became everyone's favorite team because they tried harder than everyone else, gaining a reputation for their intensity.
More than that, everyone could feel the support and joy the group got from playing together. It was infectious watching this team interact and cheer each other on.
Coach Jamahl Mosley has built a program from the bottom floor into something that players want to build. They have taken ownership of everything.
That came through in the playoffs. The Magic showed they could step up to the bigger stage with how they responded and answered the bell. It proved to be a confidence-building step in the team's growth.
They were not satisfied with just being there. That was clear with how they spoke throughout the offseason and how they have played to start the 2025 season.
The Orlando Magic fell behind 0-2 in that series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They looked every bit the playoff debutante.
But the Magic rallied to even the series and with their backs against the wall pulled out a memorable Game 6 victory. They closed that game to send the home crowd happy for the season.
Orlando ultimately lost the series, but the statement was made. It was a frustrating Game 7 that showd the Magic still had room to grow and maturing to do. But the team took that loss as motivation for the offseason.
Unsatisfied, eager to do more
The Orlando Magic were not an easy out. They got a taste of success and wanted more.
The confidence coming from making the postseason and nearly advancing to the second round lingered into the offseason.
Orlando did not let things lie with their first playoff appearance. The Magic declared their ambitions boldly, saying they aimed to make the second round and get homecourt advantage in the first round. And even with injuries to both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, they remain fourth in the Eastern Conference and 20-15 this season.
The Magic are still on track to accomplish their goals in the 2025 season.
But the next calendar year will see changes once again. If 2024 was about arrival, then 2025 is about showing their staying power and that they are truly a future title contender.
The Magic have yet to prove this point.
They still have the fewest wins among the East’s top 10 teams against teams with records better than .500 at 4-11. It is the same as it was in the 2024 season when they went 19-28.
Orlando has stumbled on national TV regular season games, going winless in the four games they have played so far this season. Only their NBA Cup loss to the Milwaukee Bucks was close at the end of the fourth quarter.
That loss showed what their culture is made of playing without their top two players. But it also reminded everyone how far they still have to go. They are a fun team and a nice story, but they are not among the elite.
Nobody is taking the Magic seriously as a title contender. In the Eastern Conference title tiers, the Magic are sitting alone behind the power trio of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.
The Magic still have a lot to prove.
Some of that may come down to how the team plays when they are (finally) fully healthy—something the team has not been for any of its national TV appearances and may not be for any of its scheduled appearances. Some of that may come down to what trades or transactions the team decides to make to improve the roster.
It will certainly come down to how the Magic look in their second Playoff trip and whether they can match or exceed what they did last year.
The next 12 months will likely see the Magic continue to establish themselves as current and future Eastern Conference powers, especially as Banchero and Wagner return to the lineup. But they will also have to ask themselves how to reach the next level.
There is a lot of work to do in the next 12 months.
The previous 12 months though were a banner year for the Magic. One that made Orlando’s path to a title far clearer than it has been in more than a decade.
Orlando established itself as a future Eastern Conference contender. The 2025 calendar year will establish the Magic's path to a championship.