Once again, the Orlando Magic failed to make the postseason, as they had a 21-51 record, good enough for 14th in the conference.
It’s clear what direction they’re headed in, but will their plan work? What should be expected from the Magic this season?
Orlando Magic 2021-2022 Season Preview
Offseason Changes
After trading their best players in Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic, it was evident that the Magic would be going into full rebuild mode.
By doing that, they were able to sign a new head coach in Jamahl Mosley and select players from the lottery such as Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner.
That might not seem like much, but at least the Magic are headed in the right direction somewhat. They’re able to establish a solid foundation of young talent on their team, as they hope to further improve the roster moving forward.
Last season, they traded away their two best players away in Gordon and Vucevic. By doing that, it cleared up cap space and better positioning in the draft.
After signing Mosley, the Magic hope to build a solid foundation with him in the center of it. In the lottery, the Magic used their first pick by selecting Suggs.
Suggs is a player who has an extremely high ceiling. He’s a top-notch facilitator and can do many more things for the Magic if needed. What this does for the Magic is it provides them with a leader. This is a point-guard-driven league, and Suggs is a great start!
The Magic then took Wagner with the eighth pick in the draft. Wagner has a great IQ, as he just has a great feel for the game. He’s also a top-notch catch-and-shoot player, as it provides Orlando with some much-needed spacing.
In free agency, the Magic added players like Robin Lopez and Moe Wagner, as they’ll be a part of mentoring this young core moving forward. Looking at the moves they made, none of them were flashy, but at least the Magic are rebuilding correctly.
Orlando Magic – Expectations For This Season
The Magic don’t have any expectations for this season whatsoever.
There’s no other way to put it. The Magic have been struggling to construct a roster good enough to contend for a championship. The last time they had a roster like that was when Dwight Howard was in his prime.
It’s known that the Magic are rebuilding, and this time, they’re for real. Getting rid of their best players was a major sign of them doing so because of the fact that they can position themselves better in the draft.
With a young core of Suggs, Wagner, Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, and R.J. Hampton, Orlando actually has something to build around.
In terms of the expectations for the Magic this upcoming season, expect them to be around the 13th to 15th seed in the conference. This isn’t anyone disrespecting the Magic whatsoever, it’s just stating the reality.
The Magic just aren’t good right now, but at least they have something to build with.
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