We are approaching the midway point in the season and, entering Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Orlando Magic are 13 wins away from reaching the total of wins the team had all year in 2023.
As All-Star Weekend approaches, the Magic currently sit in fourth in a tightly-packed Eastern Conference just two games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for third.
Coach Jamahl Mosley and his staff deserve a ton of credit for getting the most out of their players while dealing with adversity and the injuries of the last few weeks. The Magic have been the surprise story in the Eastern Conference and it does not seem like the team is going away.
This has been something the team has been building toward for several years. It feels like the natural progression of the culture Mosley and his team has built in the past two seasons.
Overall, the camaraderie this team is playing with is arguably the strongest we have seen in recent memory. Not to take anything away from teams that came before but now more than ever we are seeing a group that is selfless and with no egos.
They play together and play the right way.
Still, it took some major improvements throughout the roster. It took the team making some major leaps to go from an upstart team that made a late charge after last year's slow start into a team that feels like a surefire Playoff team.
As they prepare for the second half of their season, they are going to have to keep building and growing on the successes of their first 36 games and more.
Let's get into the top three reasons Orlando has improved this season.