The Orlando Magic's rebuild honeymoon is officially over

There is nothing quite like a team learning to win for the first time.

Everything feels so new and the team, usually having gone through the grind of trying to win consistently, enjoys every moment and every bit of the journey.

The Orlando Magic have had a decade-plus of losing with only a few brief moments where things went their way. But never in a way that seemed like it was the start of something. The last decade has seen hope dwindle as quickly as it was created.

Orlando was happy to get any stretch of winning that it could.

Last year was different. The Magic were winning and the winning did not stop. Everyone enjoyed the moment. Everyone enjoyed the feeling. The team could not do wrong—even with the hand-wringing that came toward the end of the season.

There is nothing more exciting than watching a team win for the first time. There is a real joy of discovery. More importantly, there is no pressure. Everyone is just happy to win regularly and be free from the depression of losing more often than not.

The Magic made the playoffs last year. That was the goal. Winning 47 games, being the 5-seed, and getting to Game 7 was gravy.

The team was down about the loss in the Cleveland locker room after their series defeat. But by the time they got home for exit interviews, everyone was looking eagerly toward the team's future.

That rebuild honeymoon is over. Those vibes are gone. Now comes the pressure of trying to win and do it all again. Can they copy those results? Can they grow? Vibes alone will not equal success.

The entire conversation for the Magic this offseason has centered on one thing: What are you going to do next?

That is the constant question of teams in the playoffs and trying to knock on the door of contention. There is always the desire to do more and be more. There is pressure to do more.

Orlando Magic keep the faith in their growth

The Orlando Magic stuck with continuity—by ESPN.com's measure, the second-most in the league this year. The team believes in its individual development.

But as Jeff Weltman put it, continuity is only something you can bank on when you are winning. The team is winning and is expected to keep winning at a higher and higher level.

The Magic are feeling that pressure for the first time in nearly a decade. There is real pressure to win. And if the Magic fall short of their predicted goals—returning to the playoffs and continuing their ascent up the standings—there will be some major questions facing the team.

Teams become victims of their own success. Everyone has to answer the "problem of more" until they reach the top of the mountain and win the championship. There is always something more to achieve.

For much of the last decade, the Magic were simply looking for a foundation. There was no pressure to do much of anything. There were hardly any expectations to do anything meaningful year to year.

Paolo Banchero has changed that—as getting the No. 1 pick should. So too has signing Franz Wagner to a max extension. So has making the playoffs and pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to a Game 7.

Everyone can now see what this team is capable of. The Magic have spent their offseason feeling the buzz of being one of the best up-and-coming teams in the league. There are plenty of pundits predicting big things for the Magic.

The Eastern Conference is a new challenge for the Magic

The Eastern Conference is not going to stand still though.

The East got better whether that is the Milwaukee Bucks getting a second year with Damian Lillard or a full season with Doc Rivers, the resurgence of the Philadelphia 76ers, the potential resurrection of the Miami Heat with Jimmy Butler in a contract year, or the New York Knicks' addition of Mikal Bridges.

That does not get into the other up-and-coming teams like the Indiana Pacers, who made the Eastern Conference Finals, or the Cleveland Cavaliers, who defeated the Orlando Magic last year. The Magic have their work cut out for them.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Magic treading some water with an over/under of 47.5 wins and +2,000 odds to win the Eastern Conference. That puts them in a group with the fifth-best odds to win the conference. That does not feel like the progress fans expect.

And like last year, the East is expected to be incredibly tight. The difference between the 2-seed and the 7-seed may be only a couple of games.

Progress in the standings is not guaranteed for the Magic. But for the first time in a decade, the Magic will be judged on their results. A 47-win season that ends with a 6-seed or 7-seed might be viewed differently than it would have been a year ago.

If the Magic's ultimate lesson from last season was an understanding that every game matters and counts at the end of the season, they will have to put that to the test this year. And they will have to do that with everyone knowing they are coming and facing the expectations of matching and improving on last year's breakthrough season.

They will have to put everything they learned last season to the test just to match what they accomplished last year, let alone advance themselves. The Magic are, of course, confident they can do this.

Vibes alone will not lead to success

The Orlando Magic traded much of last season on vibes. The vibes were indeed very good. Everyone was happy and playing freely. They had high internal expectations but everyone was excited for the experience.

Now, the Magic need something more.

Fans will expect something more. Coaches and management will expect something more. The pressure of the NBA to improve constantly will be felt more on this team than ever before—just look at the conversations about Wagner's max contract.

Orlando is entering that pressure cooker now. And as much as anything else, this season will ask them how they handle that pressure. The pressure of expectations is real and it will be something new for this young Magic team.

The Magic got better this year. Adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and moving Gary Harris to the bench will help the team improve. Caldwell-Pope's championship experience will be invaluable.

Management will surely still view this Magic team as developing. Weltman will not overreact to a down season that falls just short of expectations. This team still has a bright future and a lot of maturing and growing to do.

But the pressure to keep up performance will be real. The Magic have stakes to play for.

The joy of winning for the first time is done. Now comes the pressure of trying to repeat and grow that success.