The Orlando Magic have suddenly found themselves in the role of contender in the Eastern Conference.
The move to acquire Desmond Bane early in the summer sent ripples around the league as a signal that the Magic were serious contenders in the Eastern Conference. With two potential All-Stars younger than 25 years old in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, everyone sensed it was a time to strike.
After struggling with their three-point shooting and offense last year in an injury-filled season, the Magic fixed the offense in some seismic ways.
The Magic enter the season with open ambitions to compete for a title or be on that title track. They face immense pressure for the first time.
The Magic have not won anything yet. They have not won a playoff series since 2010. This is uncharted territory for almost everyone on this team.
Still, the Magic have gone from the hunters to the hunted. They enter the season with these outsized expectations. They enter the season as one of the favorites to take the step up.
Coach Jamahl Mosley said before last season that the Magic are not sneaking up on anybody anymore. That goes double for this season when everyone is tagging the Magic as one of the up-and-coming teams in the league.
Which teams, then, have the right formula to defeat the Magic? And which playoff matchups must the Magic avoid? That is the question everyone will wonder. Because each team in the East will seek some advantage to derail this Magic team.
Here is the formula every team in the East will follow to challenge the Magic ranked by danger level to Orlando.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Size
The Orlando Magic have a certain measure of confidence against the Cleveland Cavaliers after taking them to seven games in the 2024 Playoffs. They scored a big win over them on the road late in the season last year, a true turning point in the season.
But both of those events hide a simple truth: The Cavs still have a major advantage over the Magic. It is their size.
In that playoff series, Jarrett Allen was dealing with a rib injury he suffered in Game 3 kept him out for the series' back half. In that win in March in Cleveland, Evan Mobley was out with an injury.
The Cavs easily won Games 1 and 2 with Mobley and Allen together in the 2024 Playoffs -- although they had a -3.1 net rating in those 80 minutes. Mobley especially presents a difficult matchup because the Defensive Player of the Year is one of the few players big enough and mobile enough to stymie both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Cleveland is a tough out for any team. They are among the favorites in the East. But even though the Magic have had success, they present a unique challenge to them.
2. Atlanta Hawks: Pick and roll
The Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks have had some classic battles the last few years. But everything boiled down to stopping Trae Young and containing his overall impact.
Last year, Young averaged 28.3 points per game and 9.0 assists per game in four meetings with the Magic last year (including the Play-In Tournament game). He was the central focus for everything for the Hawks.
Atlanta is more dangerous this year. The return of Jalen Johnson from a shoulder injury gives them another potential All-Star. And the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis promises to open up even more space for Young with a legitimate three-point threat alongside Young.
Last year, Atlanta was 11th in the league, averaging 0.91 points per possession in pick and rolls with the ball handler and 12th with 1.11 points per possession with the roll man, according to data from Synergy. The Hawks should be even more dangerous, with Young having more weapons and greater control.
3. New York Knicks: Spacing
The New York Knicks also present a lot of challenges to the Orlando Magic. It is no wonder they are expected to finish ahead of the Magic this season.
The biggest challenge? Their spacing.
Part of the Magic's defensive strength was their ability to limit attempts at the 3-point line. They led the league in limiting 3-point attempts last year (31.4 per game). The Knicks were not a heavy 3-point shooting team with just 34.1 attempts per game last year. But they have a lot of weapons to consider.
The key is a shooting big man like Karl-Anthony Towns. He forces the Magic either to go to their switching package or leave Wendell Carter outside the paint. That stretches the Magic's defense and exposes their sometimes weak rim and paint protection.
Towns pulling the Magic's bigs away from the paint and exposing the paint, forcing the Magic to decide between stopping Jalen Brunson's drives or giving up threes to Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns would be the tug and pull of the potential series.
4. Milwaukee Bucks: The Giannis matchup
The Milwaukee Bucks this year will not be so simple, but everything boils down to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He will be the engine for this team as they reset. The Bucks will rely heavily on their size and that aspect of their identity as they seek guards to fill in and support them.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the engine driving things. He is a difficult matchup for anyone, but he will be difficult for the Magic because defending him requires throwing one of their top two players against him or playing Jonathan Isaac more.
Antetokounmpo averaged 35.3 point sper game against the Magic last year. Stopping him is the only key against the Bucks. And it is a rare forward with an advantage over the Magic.
5. Boston Celtics: 3-point volume
The Boston Celtics may not be the same team they were last year because of Jayson Tatum's injury and the departures of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. They will surely take a step back. But they still present the same fear and challenge.
Joe Mazulla is not about to change his offensive strategy just because of those losses. The Celtics are still going to put up tons of threes -- they averaged 48.2 attempts per game. And they still have the personnel to take a lot of threes, even if other parts of their game are weaker.
The Orlando Magic spent their playoff series against the Boston Celtics last year fearful of the power of their 3-point shooting. Even though the Magic have more 3-point shooting now to keep up, they still probably are not prepared for a team that throws volume at them that forces them to keep up.
6. Detroit Pistons: Bullishness
The Orlando Magic should have every matchup advantage over the Detroit Pistons now. That is not to say the Pistons are not a dangerous team. But this feels like a particularly good matchup for Orlando.
Ausar Thompson can only defend one of Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner, leaving Tobias Harris to defend the other. They have multiple guards to throw at Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons' issue of not having a second scorer comes to the front against a team like the Magic. But they have one thing working for them -- they can get under Orlando's skin.
In the last two seasons, the Magic and Pistons have gotten into physical duels that have often boiled over into pull-aparts and technical fouls. These two teams battle each other a ton in the right and wrong ways. And that could derail either team depending on the matchup.
7. Miami Heat: Versatility
The Miami Heat quietly had a solid summer. And it did not take much for them to do it, acquiring Norman Powell for very little to boost their scoring and offense.
In Powell, the Heat get a player that fits the team's overall identity -- solid shooting and decision-making and, more importantly, versatility. Miami has a type and the team still has a lot of players who can fill in and step up when called for. The Heat are still a team everyone has nightmares about.
The Heat may lack the top-end player that is necessary to win a championship. But Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Norman Powell still make an interesting core and one capable of outperforming their talent -- thanks to the culture Erik Spoelstra has built.
Miami players can do just a little bit of everything. And you do not always know who will step up and beat you.