Injuries may have kept Orlando Magic from reaching full potential in 2024

Everything nearly unraveled in the final weeks of the season for the Orlando Magic.

They knew the last week would be tough when the schedule came out with a tough back-to-back against an improved Houston Rockets team and the Milwaukee Bucks followed by a road game at the Philadelphia 76ers and a home finale with the Bucks again. Orlando lost those three road games, falling from third in the East to needing a win on the season's final day to clinch a playoff spot.

There was a lot of hand-wringing in that final week over where the Magic would finish. Hand-wringing that was finally relieved when the Magic won that final game and could celebrate clinching a playoff spot.

Considering how far the Magic had come last season, no one was concerned over a little trip at the end of the season. To end with 47 wins and the 5-seed was a victory enough. It set them up for the kind of postseason they had with a chance to advance and the chance to experience the Playoffs for the first time.

Everyone though had to recognize that had the Magic lost to the Bucks on that final day and the team would have to go through the Play-In Tournament to reach the Playoffs, it would be disappointing.

As the 2025 season comes up with expectations now for the Magic to match last year's results—and internal expectations to do much more—it begs the question: Are the Magic poised to improve? Or maybe even did the Magic actually underachieve last year?

No one will probably reasonably argue the 2024 season was not a success. To make the playoffs was the ultimate goal for this team. They gave a good measure of how good they can be and what they can do in the playoffs.

This is the reason there is so much excitement and belief in what the Magic can do in 2025. They were one of the youngest teams in the league last year with a second-year player making his All-Star debut. Naturally, they are expected to improve.

The Magic last year finished the year with a net rating of +2.2 points per 100 possessions. That means, statistically at least, the Magic overperformed their numbers slightly. Basketball-Reference's Pythagorean wins formula had the Magic with a projected record of 46-36.

But it is also easy to see several points through last season where the Magic's youth cost them wins. There was a lot to celebrate but also a lot the Magic left on the board that could have made them even better.

In some respect then, the Magic underperformed because they lost some opportunities to win thanks to injuries at a critical part of the season. They could have been a 50-win team if not for some untimely injuries and dropping those late games— especially that infamous loss in Charlotte late in the season.

There were a lot of games left on the board like that—although very few against teams without winning records.

Injuries still defined the Magic's shortcomings

The Orlando Magic thrived early in the season despite injuries to Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter. But it was also clear the Magic were missing something especially as they returned and the season wore on. Injuries were a constant story and led to the biggest dip in the season.

Orlando's opening night starting lineup of Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter had an overall net rating of +4.6 points per 100 possessions in 280 minutes. It was the second-most-used lineup of the season and ranked third among all lineups that played at least 100 minutes—trailing the final starting lineup with Gary Harris in and the injury lineup fro early in the season with Anthony Black and Goga Bitadze.

Maybe the early injuries were some fortune. But Orlando was playing catchup and trying to find the right playing groups despite the vaunted continuity between the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

The Magic played most of the season down two starters. It is a credit to the team that they rallied and still found their way.

Then there was the January stretch where the team flat-out struggled and dealt with various injuries and illnesses that gutted the team, including a week-plus absence from Franz Wagner.

Orlando went 12-18 in December and January and 6-10 in January alone. That caused the Magic to start December sitting in second place in the East at 14-5, but ended January in a tie for seventh at 25-23. Orland could see a similar dip with a difficult December and January schedule in 2025.

There were things out of their control—and every team will have some stretch of games where they deal with injuries or a downturn in play, the season is too long not to ride some of those dips.

But there were opportunities missed in this run—including some close games like the loss at Atlanta in mid-January or the double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, a four-game losing streak to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the injury-filled 1-3 West coast road trip and losing another big lead in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Every team will have some games they regret during the course of the season. But these were all winnable games even with the injuries the team faced. There were a lot of opportunities left on the board.

And with how narrow the margin was between playoff spots, these two down months were critical in their season result.

If Orlando's aim is to climb into the top three in the East, it starts with weathering these storms better and maintaining a consistent level of play. The Magic have to keep these dips and periods from getting too low.

The Magic are still a maturing team

Perhaps this is where the Orlando Magic's immaturity was on display. They may have been able to pick up three or four more wins with more experience. And those three or four more wins could have put the team in second place in the Eastern Conference (maybe that would not have been a reward with the Philadelphia 76ers sitting in the 7-seed after the Play-In Tournament).

The late season gaff in the final week of the season certainly felt like immaturity. The playoff pressure was growing on the team as they tried to get that last win to clinch their playoff spot.

It is a credit to them that they still persevered and won in the critical game—whether it is the win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the final day of the season or Game 6 in the series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Part of the process for the Magic is to fail and learn from those failures. They did that throughout the 2024 season. But winning at the highest levels requires the team to avoid dropping these kinds of games.

There are no do-overs of course. The Magic have to start from square one when they convene for training camp on Oct. 1. No season is ever alike.

But as much as there is to celebrate with the Magic's strong season in 2024, there is a lot left on the table to improve upon in 2025–not to mention the 18-point lead lost in Game 7 and a chance to advance to the second round last season. Orlando must avoid the deep dips that cost the team throughout the 2024 season.

This team still has to grow up and mature. That is what experience will hopefully provide them.

Every part of the season is important.

As good as the Magic were last year, they can be so much better still.