Everyone was feeling the pressure of the season.
The Orlando Magic are not where they are supposed to be in the standings, sitting at 25-27 and eighth in the Eastern Conference as the trade deadline took place Thursday. The team has not matched last year's breakthrough season or retained their seeding.
An injury-filled swoon led the Magic to drop in the standings. With the team struggling on offense and stretched thin with injuries, it seemed like the conditions were clear: the Magic needed to make a trade. They were not contenders in the Eastern Conference and they were still struggling to find their footing.
But their rallying cry while their two star players were out in December was: "We are enough." It was a statement Jamahl Mosley imbued in his team leading to intense efforts and surprising victories. This was the team that erased a 25-point deficit without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs against the Miami Heat and then followed it up with a 15-point comeback against the Boston Celtics.
Those were the season's high points. The time when the Magic believed they could accomplish anything.
In the last month, Orlando has failed to win consecutive games. The team has dropped in the standings. They have the worst offensive rating in the league. Injuries have hampered everything.
And so the ultimate question remains: Do they have enough to compete? Do they have enough to reach their goals?
Those are the questions that will define the rest of the season now.
The Magic did not make a move at the trade deadline to address any of their clear needs—from shooting to playmaking and creation to offensive dynamism to shooting again. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman is betting again on the team's continuity and betting the Magic can still make something out of this season as the group gets healthy.
In essence, the Magic have dared their players to live by that creed in December and prove they are enough. They have 32 games to show that and make the most of the season. They have 32 games to show they have enough to salvage this seaosn and prove how good they can be.
How good is this team?
Of course, the Orlando Magic do not quite know how good they can be.
Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs have played in only 97 minutes across six games together. That is hardly enough time to draw conclusion on how much their team has grown from last year's breakthrough.
There is undoubtedly a lot of untapped potential in this team.
It is still clear Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are working themselves into shape since their return from injuries.
Wagner has produced on the score sheet—27.7 points per game and 45.5 percent shooting since his return—but fatigues quickly and loses his effectiveness at the end of games. Banchero has struggled mightily since his return, averaging only 20.1 points per game and shooting 40.1 percent in his 13 games since returning.
Banchero said after Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings that he is still working to get himself into elite shape to play at the level he knows he can. He hopes to use the All-Star Break to speed that process along as he fights through games.
Undoubtedly any hope the Magic have for success comes from Banchero and Wagner's development. Their return was meant to set the Magic straight.
Even accounting for Suggs' absence—he has played in only one game since injuring his back on Jan. 3 and has missed the last five games with what the Magic are caling a left quad contusion—they have not provided relief.
Orlando has a -11.0 net rating and 104.5 offensive rating since Banchero's return and a -7.9 net rating with a 106.0 offensive rating since Wagner's return. The defense lost much of its bite as the team struggled offensively.
Banchero and Wagner were still not at 100 percent and so this period seemed to highlight the team's weaknesses and the need to expand and grow the team's offensive capabilities.
The Magic always knew they were better than what they showed in a 4-11 January but it felt like they needed to own that this is who they could be too.
Standing pat at the trade deadline left a lot of clear needs unaddressed and delayed to the offseason.
But it would appear that no deal came about to chang ethe Magic's fortunes dramatically. Or the Magic did not feel comfortable injecting a new player into a group that was already facing its share of volatility with players returning from injury and settling back into the rotation.
The team knows it can and will play better as they get healthy and back into rhythm.
Still, that is very little solace. Orlando did not envision fighting for its playoff lives again this season. The team envisioned itself competing for homecourt advantage. Fully healthy, they might have been. We will never know.
They only can face where they are now. And for the rest of the season, they will find out whether they have enough and whether they are good enough.
With some health and finally getting into rhythm, the Magic may finally see how good they really can be. That may give Jeff Weltman and the front office all the information they need to move this team forward.
Then again, maybe they should listen and read the signs they have now. Continuity cannot last forever in this league. The Magic have some tough decisions ahead and necessary additions they must make.
Those will be left to the offseason. The attention now turns to the rest of this season and making the most of the 32 games they have left.
Assuming the team gets healthy and back into rhythm, Orlando will likely finish the season strong. The team will likely put itself back in position to earn the 6-seed. It will likely sneak back into the fight for the 5-seed perhaps. Everyone will see what this season was supposed to be.
Is that enough? I guess we will find out.