3 ways the Orlando Magic have drastically improved in 2024

3 ways the Orlando Magic have drastically improved in the 2024 season

Consistent Winning

To see a young team loaded with lottery picks such as Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Anthony Black rally behind a young head coach is rare to see. To see them put it all together and win so consistently is downright exciting.

The Magic have put their success together quickly.

Last season before the All-Star Break, the Magic were 24-35 compared to this season Orlando is 21-15 entering Tuesday's game, which is a drastic improvement. The team is averaging 113.9 points per game in the first half of the season compared to 110.9 last season.

Orlando dealt with a ton of injuries early last season, going 5-20 to open the season with Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony missing significant time. The Magic never really recovered from that slow start.

But Orlando has dealt with injuries in stride this year and continued to stack up wins, even if the team has hovered around .500 since ending the franchise-record-tying nine-game win streak in early December.

There are still more games to be played until the All-Star Break with big matchups still left which includes a four-game road trip starting Friday.

There have not been a large amount of signature wins but Orlando did limp into Denver and capture a 122-120 win. They have picked up some big home wins too against the Boston Celtics in the In-Season Tournament most notably.

But where the team has really shined is in the games the team is supposed to win. The Magic have a 12-5 record against teams with records below .500. They have taken care of business against teams they are supposed to beat. That has boosted their record.

Compared to last season, the Magic were still struggling to deliver against these teams. They went just 15-16 in these games.

Overall, seeing the team consistently play a full four quarters and close out games is something Orlando failed to do numerous times last year.

This team is learning to win games by any means and they are doing consistently. The Magic have remained among the top five in the Eastern Conference all season unlike last year where they struggled to stay in the top 10 and stayed on the outskirts of the playoff race after their poor start.

This is a drasticlally improved team and they do not seem likely to go away any time soon.