The Orlando Magic are a hard team to peg with their young talent still coming together with a new coach. Where can we expect them to finish in 2016?
Good luck trying to figure out the Orlando Magic this year.
The Magic finished their preseason on a five-game win streak at 6-2, which of course means absolutely nothing. The Magic though showed plenty of promise and potential in their preseason games.
Scott Skiles promised accountability and he showed that in the first preseason game by benching his starters in the third quarter after they came out lethargic.
He constantly noted throughout the month-long stretch of games that there were moments of good but they were not nearly enough of them. Not to win during the regular season. There were moments of encouragement, but not complete encouragement. It was always with an eye toward the end goal.
What is that end goal?
Scott Skiles has said throughout the preseason the goal is not just to make the Playoffs but to have a winning record. He wants his team in the top-10 in defensive rating (if not top five as some players seemed to suggest Friday night). These are things that are part of his team’s ideal.
Where will that get them? Magic fans are certainly very hungry to see the team succeed after three years of losing (actually losing the most games in the NBA in that time span).
I was invited to talk about the Orlando Magic’s upcoming season with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors and he put me on the spot to give a prediction. With the season about to start here it is:
I think the Magic could finish anywhere from about 40 wins to back down to 28 wins again. They could show modest improvement, extreme improvement, or no improvement. This is largely the same roster as last year, so to expect the team to take a huge step up seems pretty far out there, though not impossible. Internal improvement and a better, more directed coach should mean improvement from last year. And significant improvement at that. I have the Magic winning about 32-36 games and I think they take a step forward as a team and improve pretty significantly this year, bringing a lot of promise for 2017.
Yes, this team is hard to peg. Even if you cover the team every day and follow their every movement.
But a lot of questions about this squad are going to get answered very quickly during the regular season. The Magic have to find out who their star is and exactly how these pieces can fit together.
If players show internal improvement — Elfrid Payton making his jumpers, Victor Oladipo taking a star leap, Nikola Vucevic improving his defense — then this team could very easily challenge for a Playoff spot. If some of them falter or there are no improvements, then it could be another long year.
This Magic team has a lot of potential hidden in it, they just have to unlock it now. That is what the 2016 season will be about most — whether that talent is ready to come out.
