It is not that the entire NBA world is outright dismissing the Orlando Magic.
Most people can acknowledge that the Magic are a dangerous team. They are a group that should be in the postseason. They respect the defense the team has built.
But with how competitive the Eastern Conference is looking, the Magic have not earned the benefit of the doubt. Why would anyone pitch them as better than what they were last year? What have they proven to earn some faith?
The immense talent on this team has reached the point where it cannot be potential. It has to deliver on the court.
The Magic are certainly at a point where they expect results. And that is even giving this group another year to figure things out after an injury-filled 2026 season.
Orlando believes it left more on the table. But it is hard to convince everyone you are significantly better when the only move this offseason was to add Nikola Vucevic, coming off a difficult playoff run with the Boston Celtics, where he was ultimately taken out of the rotation.
David Aldridge of The Athletic ranked the Magic with the sixth-worst offseason. Confidence is not riding high outside of the building.
The coach got the axe, as is often the case when promising teams underperform. But the problem remains that the Magic's star players were not able to stay on the court together. And what was left, even with a decent postseason from star acquisition Desmond Bane, was not enough to get them out of the first round -- or win one game in the final three games of their series with the Detroit Pistons.
Orlando still has plenty of reason to hope.
Despite all the issues that were so apparent and unavoidable last season, the Magic were still not far from accomplishing many of their goals. They finished one game behind the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks for fifth and seven games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for fourth.
They still need to improve. And the question is how do they do it?
1. Health, Health, Health
The whole offseason has been lamenting the injuries that defined the Orlando Magic's season. Really, for the last two seasons.
The Magic's top trio of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs played in only 91 minutes together during the 2025 season with Suggs missing the last three months of the season and the Playoffs.
The quartet of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane played only 190 minutes together last year. The Magic's main starting lineup did not even log 200 total minutes together.
Orlando could claim that its starting lineup in both years had some measure of success -- particularly last year when that group had a +11.6 net rating, one of the best marks for lineups that played at least 150 minutes together.
The Playoffs proved how vital Wagner is to this team, even considering winning a playoff series. He played in only 34 games during the 2026 season.
It is fair to argue that Orlando should be better despite these injuries. They should have been able to hold the boat steadier than they did with Wagner out.
But getting a healthy Wagner should elevate this team in a significant way.
If Orlando gets another fairly healthy season from Bane -- he played 82 games and averages 65.8 games per year -- and another healthy season from Carter -- who played in 78 games nad has missed 18 total games in the last two seasons -- then the team can finally see itself at full strength.
And that team is pretty good. Maybe not championship good. But it is pretty good.
Everyone can acknowledge that health held the Magic back last year. It should not have knocked them down that far. But it gives them a chance to rise up again.
2. Sean Sweeney clicks
The biggest bet the Orlando Magic are making is that their new coach will create a new context and unlock another level to their roster.
That is not rocket science. Coaches are easier to change than higher priced players.
Franz Wagner admitted as much after the season that Jamahl Mosley had lost some of his voice. That was evident in how much the team's defense slipped. Something was not clicking the way it needed to.
The Magic's new hire in Sean Sweeney brings much of the same defensive mentality. Nobody is quite sure what his offense will look like.
But if something is not working for the Magic right now, the coach is the first thing to change.
Sweeney is expected to bring a much more serious and focused approach to the team.
Mosley was hired to guide the team through the rebuild phase. He got the team into the Playoffs. But he did not seem able to nudge them further.
The Magic are betting -- and seem to have a full belief -- that Sweeney will bring a level of accountability and detail that can elevate the team.
It will still take the players buying in and meeting the moment. Firing the coach puts the pressure on the players to embrace that change or get shipped out.
Sweeney's ability to maximize the Magic's young stars will determine whether the whole project works or not. Everyone will be watching how he uses Banchero and Wagner and how they work together in whatever Sweeney runs.
What that actually looks like is still to be determined.
But in a summer where there was very little change to the roster, the biggest change is the coaching staff. And the Magic are hoping that gives the team a critical boost.
3. The team still has room to grow
The Orlando Magic are under immense pressure this season. It feels like this is a do-or-die season for the entire group.
The Magic will be forced to make some major financial decisions regardless of the outcome. The degree of those decisions will depend on what the team does this season. But those decisions are on the horizon.
It sometimes feels like the Magic are on their last legs. They have reached their peak. These players have been around long enough -- many of them are on their second contract -- that they should be producing more.
They should be.
But it is easy to forget how young this team is.
Franz Wagner is entering his age-25 season. Paolo Banchero is entering his age-24 season. Jalen Suggs is just 25 years old. Nikola Vucevic and Jevon Carter are the only players older than 30 years old. Desmond Bane is only 28 years old.
This is all to say, many of the Magic's most important players are not yet in their prime. They still have plenty of room to improve. And the Magic are still betting on that improvement.
It is abundantly clear that these players are still growing as players and even as leaders. They still have the chance to take that vital next step.
That remains what the Magic are chasing. And what they need to reach this season.
But there are still plenty of reasons to believe in this team. They just have to go out and prove it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google