3 Players who will change the Orlando Magic from playoff team to contender
Throughout the Orlando Magic's 2023 season, the mantra for the team was to "level up."
They had finished their rebuilding 2022 season at the bottom of the standings, getting a feel for the culture of their new head coach. Jamahl Mosley, after a season-ending victory against the Miami Heat, challenged his team through the offseason and into the following season well before they got the No. 1 pick.
When Orlando completed its season with 34 wins, finishing .500 during the final two-thirds of the season, it felt like the team had accomplished that goal. Their new rallying cry was simply about making the playoffs the following year—the next level for this team.
The 2024 season was mission accomplished once again. The Orlando Magic "leveled up" again to win 47 games, reach the playoffs and push the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in their first-round series.
Orlando may have put the notion of "leveling up" to rest. But the idea remains.
The question for the Magic entering the 2025 season is how does the team "level up" from a playoff team to a contender?
There has already been a lot of ink spilled on this topic. Most of it has centered where it should: On the Magic's two stars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
To be sure, the Magic will go as far as those two players will take them. And it is vital that Banchero takes the step up from star to superstar and Wagner steps up from quality young player to All-Star player.
There is still a lot of leveling up to do. And there are plenty of questions about whether the Magic will make good on their overwhelming promise.
The team's stars are important and they have to take their games to new levels. But for the Magic to reach their full potential they will need others to step up.
More immediately, they will need several supporting players on their roster to take a sizable leap. For the Magic to reach contender status this year, it will take a lot of players improving and taking sizable leaps in their games.
If Orlando finds itself competing for homecourt advantage in the first round or in the running to win the Eastern Conference entirely, it will be because several key players on the margins made big leaps too.