If there is encouraging news right now for the Orlando Magic -- other than the impending returns of Franz Wagner and Moe Wagner becoming increasingly more visible -- it is that the Magic are not losing.
They are 7-7 in the 14 games since Franz Wagner went out with a left high ankle sprain. They have alternated wins and losses in their last 12 games. This is a team that is treading water.
It does not necessarily feel like that entirely because of all the close games the team has had to squeak out -- and the occasional nervy finishes that came with those wins.
The Magic will take that as an example of their resolve and their ability to battle back and still come out on top.
That is not the ultimate goal, though. This team has not been shy about pumping up its expectations. This is not a team meant to be treading water or struggling to stay above the 6-seed in the Eastern Conference.
They recognize that getting healthy will help and give the team some consistency that it has been missing. But Orlando set the bar high. And the team needed to face that truth.
"It would be nice to go ideal and say it should look like this," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Friday. "But the reality is this is what it looks like right now. Up, down, win one, lose one, how do we play consistent basketball? That happens when you get consistent rotation and consistent players in the lineup. That's what we're in right now. That's the truth we speak to them. How do you bounce out of it? You communicate with one another, you talk about the things that are in front of you and you handle it the right way."
The Orlando Magic are trying to find some consistency. The return of some key players will lead to inevitable "clunkiness" but the one thing missing is the Magic embracing its identity every night.
Things have been wildly up and down. And their record reflects that.
The last 13 games
While there is a fair amount of hand-wringing about the Orlando Magic's performance since the beginning of December, the team has still managed to stay afloat and tread water. The team is not losing ground or bleeding losses, even if there are a few games fans feel the team should have picked up.
The Orlando Magic enter Friday's game in sixth in the Eastern Conference and within striking range of the Toronto Raptors in fourth. All of their goals remain in front of them. They are not losing ground.
But they also are not gaining any ground either.
"We've got to make it happen," Wendell Carter said after shootaround Friday. "I think the biggest thing for us is the last game, we were pretty good defensively. I think we've just got to find a way to make it work on both ends of the court consistently throughout the game. When we get our leads, continue to do what got us the lead and not shying away from what works. And defensively staying aggressive."
Since Dec. 1, where the Magic are 9-9, the Magic have a net rating of -3.1 points per 100 possessions (22nd in the league). Their 111.3 offensive rating is the fourth-worst in the league since then and their 114.4 defensive rating is 14th in the league.
Orlando is a little lucky to be at .500 in that time. They certainly do not have the statistical profile of a .500 team.
The Magic have not only seen slips in their vaunted defense -- which has missed Franz Wagner for hte last 14 games and Jalen Suggs for the last three games and 10 of the last 12 games -- but also slips in the team's usually strong rebounding and turnovers.
The Magic have struggled to rebound consistently for the last several weeks. And even though the team's overall turnover numbers have ben solid all season, there have been some egregiously poor turnover games that have cost the team critical momentum.
Orlando has not put all of its pieces together.
"We've been up and down in each one of those games," Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Friday. "We've had games where we play great basketball, and we've had lulls. Some of it is due to guys being in and out of the lineup. We have to make sure we stay the course of what we're doing. And that is sharing the basketball, defending at a high clip, understanding what we're doing in end-of-game execution situations."
The Magic are scratching out wins. But they are not pulling ahead. And this team is searching for a breakthrough.
"In a good place"?
Fans have likely reacted to this with far more emotion and frustration than the team has. The Orlando Magic do not look like a team that is feeling the pressure or feeling like the sky is falling.
The Magic do not want excuses but can acknowledge how much injuries have gutted this team and how difficult the team's travel schedule has been -- the Magic have had only five non-gamedays at home since the start of the West Coast trip on Dec. 18.
Every team goes through some ups and downs during the season. This is Orlando's turn.
"I think December has been a different month for us," Desmond Bane said after shootaround Friday. "I think we dealt with our fair share of adversity. Every team is going through and has been through it. We haven't been able to string together, but I think our spirits are good. I think we're in a good spot."
The team knows how much better it can and will play as it gets healthier.
Orlando still feels something like a sleeping giant in the larger NBA landscape. It has just taken longer for things to coalesce.
The Magic have a push within them. The question is: When?
The Magic hope they can break this win-loss cycle soon and pick up their first win streak since Dec. 1.
"The water will break at some point, and the floodgates will definitely open for us," Wendell Carter said after shootaround on Friday. "I've got confidence in this team. Everyone wants to win and figure out a way to win and string some wins together. I've got confidence we'll all come together at some point, especially with guys coming back into the fold."
That will not happen without the team doing its work. There is a level of consistency the team needs to find and a groove this team is searching for.
Until then, the Magic are grinding out wins where they can and making sure they do not lose too much ground.