Magic Entering 'Comfortable Spot' Next Season?
Prior to last season, the Orlando Magic was not expected to exceed very many expectations.
And in the early stages, it appeared the team who finished 22-60 the year prior was once again going to be in contention for the No. 1 overall draft pick.
But a healthy roster turned the Magic around from its 5-20 start, to a team who played nearly .500 basketball from December onward.
Now entering the 2023-2024 season with playoff implications, Bleacher Report expects Orlando to improve upon its 34-48 campaign and possibly get over that hump.
"Orlando needed to juice up its offense after ranking 26th in half-court efficiency as well as bottom seven in both three-point accuracy and volume," Bleacher Report writes. "Adding [Joe Ingles] and [Jett Howard] begins to address the voids, without entirely filling them.
"But new players needn't be the sole source of advancement. [Paolo Banchero], [Franz Wagner] and [Jalen Suggs] all have other gears to hit. [Anthony Black] stands to be a difference-maker as well if the Magic surround him with enough shooting or he can knock down jumpers himself. Orlando is in a pretty comfortable spot."
After using its No. 11 pick in last month's NBA Draft to draft Howard out of Michigan and using cap space to sign the veteran forward in Ingles, Orlando hopes its three-point shooting woes can turn around.
But most importantly, the Magic expects Banchero and Wagner to continue progressing in the early stages of their career to turn this young promising roster into a playoff team.
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