The Future of the Orlando Magic Begins Now
A day that was a long time coming for the Magic organization has finally come.
After spending the greater part of the last decade near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Magic have finally hit the reset button. In the span of just four hours the Magic traded Nikola Vučević, Evan Fournier, Aaaron Gordon, Gary Clark, and Al-Farouq Aminu for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., Gary Harris, three future first round picks and two future second round picks.
Since acquiring Vučević in a four team trade during the summer of 2012, the Magic have only had two seasons where they made the playoffs, both occasions ending in a first round exit. As time went on for Vooch in Orlando, he was surrounded with guys with talent but not necessarily talent that helped them break through the glass ceiling.
Recent struggles on both the offense and defensive end more than likely played a part in the Magic deciding to part ways with the pillars of their franchise. The Magic have ranked 18th in the NBA in defensive rating, just about middle of the pack. Though the defense itself had not been horrible, the offensive struggles have not done this team any good. The Magic have ranked 28th in the league in regard to offensive rating, shooting a league worst 43.1% from the field.
As the Eastern Conference has continued to get stronger with teams like Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and even Miami making “win now” moves, the Magic have been stagnant. Orlando is currently without Markelle Fultz and Jonathon Issac, two of their young stars, as they have both faced season ending injuries. Outside of both Issac and Fultz there was little youth for Magic fans to look forward to seeing to start the season.
However, Cole Anthony and Chuma Okeke have provided some bright spots for the Magic in another down year. Anthony, the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, had been averaging 11 points per game on 32.3% from three in his rookie season before going down with a fractured rib. Alongside Anthony, Okeke has put together a stretch of three games where he has averaged 17.7 points per game.
During the deadline, the Magic stockpiled on assets. They brought in Wendell Carter Jr. and R.J. Hampton, two young players that are just 21 and 19 years old. Orlando also was able to acquire a plethora of picks, adding draft capital that will help further the rebuild.
Currently Orlando sits at 14th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 16–31. Poised to have a top five pick in the upcoming draft, the Magic are set to round out their young core around Fultz and Issac. In the last two seasons, Fultz was able to re-find himself, looking more confident on both ends of the court as the primary ball handler and then as a defender.
Before his injury, Jonathon Issac was enjoying his best season of his young career. Averaging career highs across the board, Issac was looking like one of the best defenders in the league. In 34 games during the 2020 NBA season, Issac averaged 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks, good enough for top 10 in both categories. Barring no drastic setbacks in Issac’s recovery, he could be destined to be one of the better two-way players in the league with his absurd length and versatility as a defender.
Orlando took a step in the right direction during the deadline and decided to bank on the youth and build them up. They now have the second youngest roster in the league with an average age of 24.8 years old. As the end of the season draws near and the teams on the outside looking in begin to think towards the draft, the Magic look to be one of the first teams picking in the 2021 Draft. The future of the Orlando Magic begins now, and the future could be bright.
