In some ways, the Orlando Magic have been here before.
They were 23-19 last year at game 42 and 22-20 at game 42 in 2024. Both of those seasons ended with the Magic making the Playoffs. In that respect, all of the team's goal sare still achievable.
The Magic may not be focused so much on the standings at this point of the season, but they are aware that they are not out of the race for homecourt advantage -- sitting 1.5 games behind the third-place New York Knicks and fourth-place Toronto Raptors.
They are not even wholly out of the race for the 2-seed at three games behind the Boston Celtics.
There is still so much in front of this team and so much still to play for.
But nothing is going to be given to them. And even though the Magic find themselves in a similar position, nobody is satisfied with how the season has gone.
They entered the season with major expectations -- as much internally as externally -- and they have failed to meet the standards they have set for themselves.
The second half of their season is gong to be spent trying to reach that standard and peaking later in the season to be ready for the Playoffs.
"I don't know if there is a satisfaction [that they are still in the race], but there is a sense we can control the rest of it from here on out," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Wednesday. "You have the ability to control if you jump up to 2 or 3, or you drop down to 10. That's under our control. Whether shots fall or they don't fall or whatever happens during a game, you can always control your effort, our energy, our mindset and our attitude as we approach every single game for the rest of the regular season."
Wendell Carter is among the many players who would admit the team has not played up to its standard enough this season. But the fact they are still within shouting distance of their goals is plenty of motivation to try to get things right.
Their season is still in their hands.
The Magic not playing to their standard
There are a lot of things that have felt surprising about the Orlando Magic so far. There are a lot of areas where they have fallen short.
The Magic have greatly improved their offense, ranking 18th in the league in offensive rating at 114.4 points per 100 possessions. They are seventh in the league with 16.6 fast-break points per game, another vast improvement from last year.
That would be more than enough for the team to take a leap if the defense had not slipped so much.
Orlando is 12th in the league with a 113.6 defensive rating. That still means the Magic are breaking even, but they have not been elite at the end that has been a key part of their identity.
The Magic have gone 9-9 in their last 18 games, doing enough to tread water but losing an opportunity to gain ground and move up the standings.
It feels like there has ben a giant yo-yo of one step forward, another step back that has kept the Magic in place. Orlando has struggled to break through, even if the team is keeping its head above water.
"I think we've already gone through a couple of phases this year," Franz Wagner said after practice on Wednesday. "I think it's fair to say we are not where we want to be as a team in terms of the standings. That was a big part of today, realizing we still have half of a season left. It's in our control. We haven't played our best basketball and have a lot of basketball left to prove what kind of team we are."
The Magic have been hit with some wild inconsistency that they have not been able to resolve.
Injuries have played a role in the Magic's struggles, too. It has felt like the team has played with one hand behind its back this year.
Moe Wagner returned three games ago, sitting out Sunday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies as he continues to return from the yearlong absence with a torn ACL. Franz Wagner returned two games ago in Berlin. He is still working his way back and said he is "far from perfect" as he gets his rhythm back.
Jalen Suggs is continuing to return from an MCL contusion. Mosley said Suggs did "light contact" during Wednesday's practice. His return is still dependent on how he responds to treatment.
Slowly but surely, the team is becoming whole and giving the team a chance to see it at full strength. The Magic believe their best basketball is ahead of them.
"I think just as a team, I know you want to peak at the right time," Wendell Carter said after practice Wednesday. "You don't want to be an early-season team where you start out hot and don't sustain it. You want to be able to continue to trend in the right direction. And once you get to the end of the season, to be in a position to feel comfortable."
The Magic are hopeful it can copy its strong finishes from both 2024 and 2025 to climb the standings, without the major dip that occurred at this time last year (Orlando lost 9 of 11 games beginning with Game 42).
Day by day
That climb is not going to happen automatically. This team knows that it cannot just say it wants to win more games and it will magically happen. And that will take a more focused and intentional effort to meet
That is what it will take to find consistency again.
"I think our guys need to start looking at it as one game at a time," Mosley said after practice Wednesday. "I think the Berlin trip and the London trip were so big for the team and the together aspect. That can go a long way.
"We focus on getting better every day and one game at a time. I think that's our focus; How do we keep playing our best basketball moving forward?"
The Orlando Magic used their practice on Wednesday to continue recovering from the overseas travel and get back to the team's principles. The Magic are hoping for a more concerted and focused start than they saw in the two games against the Memphis Grizzlies.
But things will not turn around without that intentional effort. That is what the Magic are aiming for. They hope that they can bring the intensity and focus each game and build upont htat.
"It's on everybody in the building to make sure we finish out the season the right way," Franz Wagner said after practice Wednesday. "I think hopefully the result of that will be stringing some wins together in a row and finding a rhythm with the team. That's what happens when you focus on each day at a time, get better as a team on both sides of the ball."
The Magic have been here before. They have made a strong second-half push before.
They hope all the pieces come together once again.