Five things left to learn in the Orlando Magic season

The Orlando Magic have had a rough go of things since the calendar turned to 2016. The 2-12 record in January set the team back and erased all the good feelings of the 19-13 start.

The Magic have largely said the right things about trying to get back into the Playoff race and focusing on climbing back in but have struggled to do so. The Magic have not won consecutive games since early February when they swept the Atlanta Hawks in back-to-back games and have looked inconsistent.

Essentially this team is what many though it would be at the beginning of the season — a slightly-below-.500 team with a nice collection of talent and still needing some direction.

It has been a frustrating few months for the Magic and there is still a lot to sort through for this team.

Orlando is admittedly still in a rebuild mode. The team is trying to take steps forward and largely have, but have also learned a lot about its roster. The team should be spending the remaining 15-or-so games trying to figure out which players should be part of the team’s future and continuing to build habits that will create a winning expectation.

Disappointment with how this team has performed is a very natural and healthy feeling. The Magic have to look very seriously at their roster and figure out how to make it better. Already the team has made trades to free up cap space and create some flexibility.

The Playoffs at this point are not impossible, but very very unlikely. That does not mean the Magic do not have a lot to learn the rest of this season. There is still a lot left to accomplish and sort through.

1. Evan Fournier or Victor Oladipo (or both)?

One of the bigger questions facing the Orlando Magic this summer is one of the fundamental free agency questions. Both Evan Fournier and Victor Oladipo will be in line for new contracts. And it does not feel like the Magic will get the chance to keep both.

Fournier has burst onto the scene and has thrived with playing time. He started the year strong and has started to come around again and put in some big scoring games. He had a career-high 30 points Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets.

He will become a restricted free agent this summer and the Magic will have to have a good sense of his value.

They will also have to think a little bit about Victor Oladipo’s future too. Oladipo is eligible for an extension and has started to show some of his star potential again. He clearly has a higher ceiling than Fournier, but has not quite put it all together. If he does not have the ball in his hands, how effective can he be?

These are all questions the Magic need to continue to consider. Watching them both complete this season will give the Magic more information to make a call this offseason.

2. What can Mario Hezonja and Aaron Gordon do?

Scott Skiles is pretty notorious for being a bit slow with rookies and young players. They have to work really hard to gain his trust. But it is also clear looking at this Magic team they want Mario Hezonja and Aaron Gordon to be a key part of this team. And they need playing time to continue blossoming and learning.

Gordon has probably been the Magic’s best player since the All-Star Break, but he still has a long way to go to develop fully. He has slowly gained more confidence offensively and is starting to assert himself well within the offense. He is not forcing anything which is important for a young player. His defense remains superb.

Hezonja has struggled to stay consistent particularly on the defensive end. That has had Skiles bring him in and out of the rotation without much consistency. When he does get time, he usually finds his footing and makes jumpers. Still, Hezonja has a long way to go. But at a certain point, it becomes worth it for the Magic to get him some more playing time and let him off the leash a little bit more.

3. Can the team keep building winning habits?

A big part of this season and its goals was simply to win more. The team had just 68 wins in the three season prior and the organization sent a clear message that its expectations were to take a step forward and compete for the Playoffs.

The Magic have 29 wins and are almost certain to surpass 30 wins. A milestone, if a small one. The Magic are still playing games that should have meaning considering they are not eliminated from the Playoffs yet in March. Again, a milestone, if a small one.

Orlando is not in a position to pack things in. What they have to do in the next 10 games certainly is show an urgency that their Playoff lives are on the line. In reality, they are.

The most disappointing thing about the Magic’s recent stretch of games is not the losses, but the fact the Magic have not played with urgency or effort of a team that is fighting for its lives. Finding that and picking up a few wins to string this thing along would be a welcome sign of progress and make this season at least somewhat successful.

4. Can the Magic become a marketable team?

When the Orlando Magic traded Tobias Harris for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, it was a clear signal of what the Magic were planning on doing. They were putting their eggs into free agency and creating plenty of flexibility to sign at least one max free agent.

Whether that free agent will actually look seriously at Orlando is another issue entirely.

A lot of the final part of this season is going to be about showing enough promise to persuade a big-name free agent to invest himself with this young core. The Magic need to create belief that this group can take the next step with that added piece that comes this summer.

The Magic are as much looking to improve as they are looking to market themselves to potential free agents. A strong finish not only builds confidence in the group, but confidence for those that may be coming down the line.

5. Who will solidify their future with the team?

There are plenty of free agency questions and development. But several other players have to play for their future and place on this team. The Magic have signaled they are making moves and looking to take a major step forward.

In order to do that, someone that is part of this core is probably not going to be with the team much longer.

Tobias Harris has already been shipped off showing that no core player is safe. If the Magic re-sign Evan Fournier does that mean Victor Oladipo gets traded? Could the Magic look to upgrade at center and move Nikola Vucevic? How about Elfrid Payton? Has his inconsistent play made him expendable?

These questions are just as big as any other the Magic have to answer the rest of this season.

There is still a lot to get through in the final games of the season.