5 Things the Orlando Magic can be thankful for in 2024

If you were writing the script for the Orlando Magic’s season, it is hard to imagine how things have gone so far would have been on the page.

Yes, the Magic saw Paolo Banchero seemingly take a leap and drop a 50-point game. But the excitement over that individual achievement quickly dissipated. In the next game, he tore his right oblique and will likely be out until around Christmas.

At least, everyone has that Christmas gift to look forward to.

Yet, the Magic have persisted. They have kept trying to fight through and make the most of their season. They have not lost sight of their main goal of reaching homecourt advantage. That goal was still in front of them.

The team had to rally and come together. And once they got home from that nightmare road trip that included the injury, the Magic have found themselves again.

The Orlando Magic have won 10 of its past 11 games after defeating the Chicago Bulls 133-119 on Wednesday. They sit in third place in teh Eastern Conference.

In other words, they have not blinked from losing Banchero. They continue to thrive defensively with one of the best defenses in the league. They are finding ways to gut out wins every single night.

All of their preseason goals remain intact.

The schedule offers no breaks for holidays. But as the Magic approach Thanksgiving, they are breathing some sighs of relief. They have survived and thrived in the first quarter of their season.

The injury to Banchero instead of sinking the season has seemingly unlocked something inside of them. Orlando has won nine of its past 10 games and sits at 13-7, third in the Eastern Conference.

The Magic can still accomplish all of their goals to get home court advantage in the Eastern Conference. They have done more than survive.

But this week is about Thanksgiving. It is time to go around the table and say what the Magic are thankful for to start this season. And what will feed them heading into the rest of the season.

"I'm really just grateful for this group's resilience and their growth," coach Jamahl Mosley said before Wednesday's game. "You sit back and reflect on the things we achieved last year and just watching the growth happen. I think we talked about it two days ago as a staff. The Detroit game coming back from the West Coast and the Charlotte game, their ability to play through being fatigued, being tired, not making shots. The ability to stay the course and find ways. That shows tremendous growth as a group and how tight they are as a group."

The Magic have indeed built on their playoff appearance last year. It was not the end of the journey but merely the beginning.

As everyone pauses this holiday to reflect on the year before, the Magic too can look back at the things they are thankful for.

5. A culture of defense and togetherness

It is no coincidence that Jamahl Mosley sought to be thankful for the people he is working with first and foremost when asked before Wednesday's game what he is thankful for. That has been one of the defining traits he has brought to the franchise.

This is an organization and a team where everyone plays for each other and competes for each other. It is a product of the culture Mosley has built together with this team.

When Mosley arrived in Orlando, the franchise was lifeless. The team went through years of rebuilding seeking an identity. They collected talent without vision or togetherness. It was not working.

Mosley worked to change that, partnering with the players on that team. And considering Orlando has not changed much on the roster through Mosley's first four seasons, everyone has ownership in how this team has developed.

He empowered them to build this team.

The seeds of the Magic’s defense were laid in those early years. But more importantly, a culture of togetherness was built in those early years. With careful tending, the right people, some smart draft picks and complete buy-in, that identity is starting to grow into something devastating.

It is most easily seen in the team’s 105.1 defensive rating, third in the league at the moment. It is the second straight year the Magic are ranked in the top five in defensive rating. It is an identity that seemingly goes beyond the team’s freakish inability to shoot.

But it is seen everywhere else too. The Magic are as tied together as any team in the league. And that has endeared them to the fan base. It is the big reason they can push each other so hard.

Even though the Magic are the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, it never feels they are out of the game. They find a way to keep themselves in it because of that defense and belief in each other.

And it is as much a reason as any that the Magic are where they are with a bright future ahead of them.

4. The best young duo in the league

Everything for the Orlando Magic starts with their two young players and budding stars. They are the buzz of the league. Even in Paolo Banchero’s absence, everyone is excited to see what the Magic can become.

Even before Banchero’s injury, he seemed like he had made a leap, averaging 29.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. He seemed to put to rest the questions of his inefficiency as he led the Magic early in the season.

Paolo Banchero’s injury though opened the door for Franz Wagner to emerge as a star in his own right.

Wagner is averaging 23.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while maintaining his efficiency at 46.7 percent shooting and 34.0 percent from beyond the arc. Since Banchero’s injury, Wagner is averaging 25.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game on 45.7/33.3/83.8 shooting splits.

It it not just his offense that deserves recognition.

"His ability to play both sides of the ball," coach Jamahl Mosley said before Wednesday's game. "You look at his numbers and throughout the league he is top five in individual defense. His ability to guard multiple positions, his length, his IQ, bating guys to spots is tremendous for what we've asked him to do on both sides of the ball."

Wagner has elevated his game in a way that everyone hoped was possible. That gives the Magic two stars to build and play off each other. And that is the basis for a team to be successful and win at a higher level.

Banchero may not make the All-Star team this year because he will not have played enough games. But Wagner will make the team. And both of the Magic’s young forwards should be in All-Star games for years to come.

3. Home Sweet Home

Coach Jamahl Mosley loves to talk as much as he can about the energy his team gets from the home crowd. He is complimentary of the home crowd. Indeed, the Kia Center has been a bundle of energy supporting the Magic all year.

Orlando is simply a different team at home than it is on the road. And it is not just about the perfect 9-0 record entering Wednesday’s game. The Magic are a significantly better team at home.

The Magic have a league-best +16.4 net rating at home this year—a 117.0 offensive rating against a 100.6 defensive rating. The Magic even shoot a respectable 33.6 percent from three at home (still 26th among teams at home, but not abysmally bad like on the road).

The Magic have won seven of their nine home games by double digits.

Winning at home was a central goal for the Magic this season. They want homecourt advantage after failing to win on the road in the playoffs cost them the chance to advance.

"We said it last year, we set the standard for what we want to do on this building," Jalen Suggs said after Wednesday's win. "Whenever we are here, we want to come home and take care of business. We want to come out with a win because we know the power of playing at home, especially after last playoff series. We don't want to leave anything up to chance anymore for us not to have homecourt advantage. Coming into this year, it was a big emphasis. I think it shows."

Orlando has not lost a home game since March 29, when the team lost a close game to the LA Clippers. The Kia Center has truly become a fortress for this Kingdom on the Rise.

2. Continuity and trust

If Orlando Magic fans are restless or complaining about one thing, it is the lack of moves. The Magic seemingly refuse to participate in the transaction market and rumor mill that drives so much of NBA coverage these days. The Magic are not a team that is looking to make things happen.

Everyone recognizes how a rare a thing it is. The Magic have had virtually the same team for the last three years now. And the Magic have no reason to change.

A lot of what the team has built and a lot of the success of this team comes from the ownership every player takes in its success. They have built this thing from the ground in that 22-win season three years ago and meticulously built things into what it is now.

The Magic have added to the team, of course. They brought in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who was like a supercharger to their defense. He finally had an offensive breakthrough Wednesday. This is not the same team year over year. They added draft picks like Anthony Black and they opened pathways for young players to take primacy.

As Jeff Weltman said during the offseason, continuity only works when a team is winning. The Magic have grown and developed how they wanted and so they saw no reason to upset the apple cart.

That still proves to be the right call. There is a lot of trust within the locker room. Players speak openly with each other and push each other because of the deep relationship that has been established.

It is something special and it is a big reason for their success.

1. Ambition and a path forward

Most importantly for the Orlando Magic is the belief that this is a team on a championship path. The Magic believe they are movig forward.

A lot of young teams get to the playoffs for the first time and feel like they accomplished something. The Magic certainly looked a bit overwhelmed after Games 1 and 2 in the playoffs like all young teams do. But their forcing that series to Game 7 seemed to galvanize the belief in this team.

It made losing Game 7 the way they lost it a motivating moment rather than a moment of celebration. It seemed like Orlando took that loss as fuel for the offseason.

It has started with the rallying cry to earn homecourt advantage and make sure they do not have to face the prospect of going undefeated at home and losing the series. But that is a statement of their seriousness. They believe they can win in the league.

The team has taken steps forward individually. They have brought a lot of the pieces together to be a better team.

Despite sky-high expectations, the Magic have somehow exceeded them. They have exceeded them at every turn. And that is something to be thankful for.