3 Critical adjustments the Orlando Magic must make in the 2024-25 season
By Elaine Blum
After last season’s success, the Orlando Magic have big goals for the future. Paolo Banchero put some of those goals into words when he declared on First Take that his team could secure a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference this coming season. While that is not impossible, the East is incredibly strong at the top and it would likely take some injury luck for the Magic to get there.
Even if the Magic do not secure a top-3 seed, fans should expect to see them back in the playoffs. Maybe Orlando can even win a series this time around.
This season is still about development and figuring things out more than anything. Most key players on the Magic’s roster are still very young and far from perfectly developed basketball players. Balancing winning and the development of young players is not an easy thing to do. So, the Magic will have to make some adjustments.
3. Allow the team’s recent first-round picks to play
The Magic’s roster is filled with young players and future potential. Not all of those players were deemed ready to play significant NBA minutes quite yet. 2023 first-round picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard struggled to carve out consistent roles in the Magic’s rotation. Black was pushed into the rotation due to injuries and then found himself back at the end of the bench. Meanwhile, Howard spent most of his time in the G League.
Both have cases to break into the rotation in the 2024-25 season and new rookie Tristan da Silva is older and further along in his development. If the team is healthy, none of the three should be put in a position where they will have to play a huge role that will decide the outcome of the season. And yet, Black, Howard, and da Silva should get their chances to play meaningful NBA minutes.
The Magic are currently in a space between rebuilding and becoming a contender in the Eastern Conference. This may be the last chance the team will have to allow their more inexperienced players to develop and work through some mistakes. While there are certain expectations the Magic must meet this season, this is not a win-or-bust season.
Orlando should use the chance to develop the most recent first-round picks before the team’s margin for error shrinks significantly.