The Orlando Magic are halfway through their season. And there is still a lot they do not know.
Just five games into the season Paolo Banchero went down with a torn oblique, forcing the team to reconfigure roles and responsibilities and go from growing mode to survival mode. The Magic successfully navigated that until Franz Wagner went down with a torn oblique.
That Orlando is still sitting in fifth and ahead of schedule at 23-19 as the team prepares to face the Boston Celtics on Friday is a minor miracle. The team was at this same low point of injuries and frustration last year – sitting at 22-20 at Game 42 last year and eighth in the East. The team powered its way through the second half of the season and earned the 5-seed.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. The season’s third quarter may finally answer those questions about how good this team is. It better with the opportunity in front of them to cement their place in the Eastern Conference.
One way or another the next 20 games will determine where the Magic’s season ends. It will determine whether they look back at their season as one of success or one that requires major changes. It may bring some of those major changes early.
It will set the team on its path in the near future and the path it will take to contention.
First and foremost, the Magic are on track to be healthy for the first time since the start of the season at some point in the next 20 games.
Banchero returned from his oblique injury last week and is already making an impact in limited minutes as he works his way back. Franz Wagner was upgraded to return to competition reconditioning suggesting his return will come within the next two weeks (likely next weekend before the team goes on its West Coast road trip).
Jalen Suggs is still working his way back from a low back strain, but the prospect of having the team’s two stars back in the lineup is enough to get fans excited.
After a busy first half of the schedule, the Magic’s schedule also softens. While the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons have used long win streaks to catch up to the Magic in the standings, the Magic have not had that opportunity to build wins.
They will face a host of teams with losing records and have a healthy amount of home games to boot. The Magic have done well in these games, going 14-7 at the Kia Center, the second-most wins in the Eastern Conference and fourth-most in the league. Orlando has 11 of the next 20 games at home.
The Magic are also 13-3 against teams with records with below .500, the third-most wins in the Eastern Conference. And two of those losses – to the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers – came when their best player tore their oblique at some point in the second half.
Orlando plays eight teams with records below .500 in the next 20 games. Even going 7-1 in those games would set the team up for a successful third quarter of the season. Positive Residual rates the Magic as having the third-easiest remaining schedule in the league.
Of course, the future looms too. The Magic play their final two scheduled national TV games against the Boston Celtics tonight and Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 25. This team still has much to prove in the bigger picture.
The trade deadline presents an opportunity to address some long-term needs and shore this team up for the Playoffs ahead. It is unclear when the Magic will make the move, but even through all the injuries it is clear the Magic will need more to jump into title contention.
Orlando still has to prove it can step up onto a bigger stage. And the next 20 games will help prove the Magic’s intentions too.
By the time the Magic reach March, we will know exactly what this team can accomplish this season. The path is open for Orlando to cement its place in the 4/5 matchup at least and give themselves back control over homecourt advantage. They have done a lot of work to create that cushion.
The work is just beginning.
