The mindset has changed.
Contrary to the young Orlando Magic team simply hoping to make a postseason run, this 2024-25 team not only expects to make the postseason but also expects to be a top-four seed. It is on everyone’s mind. Backup center Goga Bitadze put the new expectations into words at the 2024 Orlando Magic Media Day.
"Nobody’s satisfied,” he said, talking about last season’s success and playoff run. The Magic now know that they are capable of doing much more. Success won’t be a surprise much longer. It will be an expectation.
That is a mindset shift from years of Magic fans begging to just sniff a postseason berth at the start of the year. That was the norm before the Magic drafted Paolo Banchero in 2021.
For as much as was made about how the Magic couldn't get the draft right after the Dwight Howard era, the organization has shattered the mold when it comes to the rebuilding process this time around. The Magic shocked the world and climbed to the upper end of the Eastern Conference, likely outplaying even their own expectations.
That accomplishment from last year has the players believing in Magic, as they say, and the organization is building around their superstar power forward. Although the Magic suffered defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, the lessons learned during that series should help these young guys gain confidence moving forward.
After last season’s success, Magic players expect to take the next step this season
The expectations grew even larger after the team snatched up an NBA Champion and defensive swingman in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope's experience playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray will be critical to succeed in his role alongside Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The Magic will exceed all of their own expectations if Banchero can add about five extra points to his scoring average and Franz Wagner can shoot closer to 40 percent from beyond the arc. Wagner transforming into a consistent threat from deep could potentially open up the floodgates for the Magic's offense and create spacing and more passing lanes for him to operate more efficiently.
But ultimately, the expectations in Central Florida have grown because of the leap we all saw Banchero make in 2024. This guy is a player you can build a championship team around. Last year, we witnessed Banchero carry the Magic to almost 50 wins. The team fell short with 47 wins, but they know that they left meat on the bone during the regular season, losing to bottom-feeder teams like the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Brooklyn Nets.
After suffering defeat in a grueling seven-game series, the Magic’s starting center understands how vital it is to beat these teams and take care of the games you are supposed to win.
"As a group, we noticed that we gotta make a change on that front...When we look at our schedule, it's pretty tough going into like December and we understand that we gotta get as many of those games as we can," Wendell Carter Jr. noted at Media Day.
Talent isn't everything, but it definitely helps when it comes to winning games in the NBA. Last year, Jamahl Mosley proved that you don't need two top-10 talents to get close to a 50-win season and how critical good coaching is in today’s game. The players on the roster really believe in their coach and his plan for their season. Mosley has them believing that they can accomplish anything.
And that’s why the expectations have skyrocketed. The players actually believe that they are playing for a contender in a tough Eastern Conference that features last year’s champion. Most of the world doesn't believe that Orlando will do anything this season, but as long as they believe the team can make strides like they were able to last year.
Having homecourt advantage would help tremendously, especially considering that both the Magic and the Cavaliers won every home game in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Maybe the Magic would have beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers if they had had homecourt advantage. The players certainly think it could have made a difference and do not want to risk the same thing happening again. Jonathan Isaac had a solution ready to secure homecourt advantage this time around.
"I think just starting the season off with a sense of urgency, it pays off. Later, you don't got to look back and say, I wish we started this way, I wish we wouldn't have dropped any of those games,” Jonathan Issac said at Media Day.
But it will take some humility as well as hard work because the Magic won't creep up on teams and surprise them like last year. Now, the NBA is fully aware that that team in Central Florida is on the rise and currently has the second-best power forward in the conference on its roster. They also know that the team acquired an elite defender to pair with Jalen Suggs on the perimeter. Thus, the team has expectations that are out of the roof.
This year, the Magic expect to be in the top four of the Eastern Conference among teams like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Indiana Pacers. The players seem to have a clear idea of how they will get there: win the games you are supposed to win, do not allow yourself to be satisfied, and secure homecourt advantage.