The Orlando Magic opted not to hold exit interviews publicly after their frustrating first-round defeat.
They had gone through a disappointing season that failed to meet outsized expectations. Injuries robbed them of even seeing what they might look like at their absolute best.
Even the Playoffs left the team with that empty feeling.
They lost a 3-1 lead to the Detroit Pistons in the first round and could clearly point to another injury to Franz Wagner as a proximate reason why. Not that the Magic still did not have their chances.
A season that failed to meet even the barest of their lofty expectations has already led to some significant changes. The Magic will likely introduce Sean Sweeney as their new coach sometime this week.
But everyone remaining on the Magic, even if they are anticipating some other roster changes, knows that the changes to the team's results will start internally. The Magic's players need to take ownership of this project and their final results.
That is where everything starts this offseason, especially for the Magic's two best players in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic's road to reach their potential starts with their approach at the start of the season.
It will continue with the urgency the team brings to next season to avoid a repeat of the 2026's disappointment.
"At the end of the day, it's having a high sense of urgency and accountability within the group, within the whole organization, and understanding that the window to win, especially with our roster and how contracts are, is small in the NBA," Franz Wagner told Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype. "So we got to make sure we take advantage of that time."
That was a constant theme throughout the last season.
It felt like the Magic lacked urgency, and it felt like they lacked intensity and focus throughout much of the season. Orlando seemed to struggle dealing with the weight of expectations or even the work it would take to get there.
Orlando never quite found itself. And so the animus heading into the offseason seems both to be getting to know a new coach and understanding what it takes to reach the team's lofty goals.
Wagner is right to note that the window to keep playing together is small. The young Magic have been mostly insulated from the pressures inherent in the league.
Last year was a rude awakening. And it was a clear sign the team needed to grow up.
Back to work
The only thing anyone can do now is get back to work on individual games.
The Orlando Magic's season ended six weeks ago. Any time to wallow or feel sad about the season has long passed. It is only fuel now to get ready for the next season -- a mere 15 weeks away. There is a lot of time to make improvements and prepare for the physical grind of the NBA's season.
Anthony Black said he was already back in the gym at the AdventHealth Training Center and wherever he is traveling -- he went back home to Texas and posted on Instagram from San Antonio this weekend.
Paolo Banchero has posted on his various Instagram accounts his workout progress in Seattle and working with his agent, Mike Miller. Wendell Carter hosted his basketball camp in Atlanta.
Players are allowed to go do their own thing in the summer.
Franz Wagner is doing that as well. He was in Italy for adidas Eurocamp with the best young prospects in Europe. He also stopped by Alba Berlin for the end of their season.
Wagner is spending the early part of his offseason rehabbing from injury.
He told HoopsHype that recovering from the same injury three times was frustrating throughout the season, while continuing to acknowledge that he probably should not have pushed himself to play in the game in Berlin in January, a decision that he said he does not regret for how important it is for growing the sport in Germany.
Wagner said part of his offseason will also be spent trying to avoid the patterns that led to that injury. He does not want to face another injury-filled season -- especially considering his first three seasons were clear of any kind of disruption.
This is Wagner's first summer as an NBA player without any international team duties -- Germany has a pair of FIBA World Cup qualifying games in early July, but it is unlikely that Wagner will play. There is time to get healthy and improve.
Getting rid of the empty feeling
Everyone could feel that Franz Wagner's strained calf in Game 4 was a turning point in the series, preventing the Orlando Magic from advancing in the Playoffs (again, the Magic still had their chances).
There was an empty feeling at the end of the season. Fans never got to hear a last word beyond postgame comments following Game 7 to break down what happened this season. But everyone is feeling that they failed to meet their internal expectations.
The Magic left something on the table.
The goal now is to make up for that. And that is where the team's urgency needs to be at its peak.
It felt like Orlando assumed it would take the ball and run with things throughout last season. The 1-4 start was a sign of trouble. But even when the team got settled, it always felt like they were missing something.
Wagner and the Magic are anticipating change this year. A new coach guarantees that. There is excitement over what Sean Sweeney will bring to the team.
The Magic have taken a lot of lessons from the Playoffs during the last three years. Even as an 8-seed, the team clearly learned something from their experience and took steps forward. This team can be a playoff riser.
But they are still missing something. And the Magic need to apply those lessons immediately to accomplish their goals. If the Magic come out slow or without the details to execute their new coach's offense and defense, it will be a long season.
And that might be the biggest thing everyone has to learn.
It is a new day for the Magic. There is still a lot of work to do.
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