The 2020-21 season signaled a period of transition for the Orlando Magic. After back-to-back trips to the playoffs that ended with hasty first-round exits, the Magic floundered on the floor, finishing with a 21-51 record. In the midst of that underwhelming run, Orlando made the clear decision to focus on the future, sending Aaron Gordon to the Denver Nuggets, Evan Fournier to the Boston Celtics and Nikola Vucevic to the Chicago Bulls for trade returns centering on draft capital.
In an overall sense, that was a logical decision, as the team’s core had shown that it wasn’t likely to make a deep playoff run, and Orlando was largely void of top-end talent. Still, the choice to part with the best veterans could lead to a prolonged period of rebuilding, and the 2021-22 season arrives with a roster that is a mixture of unproven youngsters, lottery-pick rookies and a few remaining veterans to bridge the gap. In short, the future is at the forefront in Orlando.
Roster:
Cole Anthony
Mo Bamba
Ignas Brazdeikis
Wendell Carter Jr.
Michael Carter-Williams
Markelle Fultz
R.J. Hampton
Gary Harris
Jonathan Isaac
Robin Lopez
E’Twaun Moore
Chuma Okeke
Terrence Ross
Jalen Suggs
Franz Wagner
Moritz Wagner
Projected Vegas Win Total: 22.5 wins
Biggest Addition: Jalen Suggs
With Orlando firmly in rebuilding mode, everything is future-facing, and Suggs is immediately their best prospect. Franz Wagner, as a fellow lottery pick, would be high on the list as well, but expectations will be sky-high for Suggs. Most rookie guards struggle, but Suggs is athletic, talented and highly competitive, displaying some of his intrigue during a productive Summer League run in Vegas. Everything this season should revolve around him to some degree.
Biggest Loss: None
With all due respect to Dwayne Bacon, Otto Porter, and Chasson Randle, the Magic are essentially bringing back their core pieces. Orlando certainly could’ve retained any of their departing players, but there isn’t any glaring absence that will harm them for 2021-22 and beyond.
Biggest Question: Which players make up Orlando’s core?
Suggs is an obvious building block for Orlando, and they are obviously hoping Wagner joins him. Beyond that, Isaac has been quite good, at least defensively, when he’s on the floor, and the Magic are fairly invested in Fultz. From there, however, the Magic have a bunch of young players that could either cement their standing in the organization or be on the way out in the near future. That list includes Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Mo Bamba, and Wendell Carter Jr., all of whom come with prospect pedigree but uneven play in the NBA.
What Makes This Season A Success
Another high lottery pick is perhaps the most important thing for the Magic, and they should be in position to make that happen. Beyond that, the development of Suggs and Wagner will be crucial, as well as both health and production from Isaac and Fultz.
What Makes This Season A Failure
Winning too many games is probably the nightmare considering the very modest ceiling of this current group. Injury issues and/or stalling on the floor from Isaac and Fultz also wouldn’t be ideal, to go along with rookie flops from Suggs and/or Wagner.