Magic Power Rankings: Excitement, Exceeding Expectations in Orlando
It's the best time of the year for the NBA and the Orlando Magic is on the outside looking in. The NBA Playoffs schedule and seeding has been set, with 20 teams still in the mix for the 2022-23 title.
Orlando is officially in offseason mode after a 123-110 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon. The Magic played without several key contributors, including No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, point guard Cole Anthony and shooting guard Gary Harris.
The Magic is about a month away from the NBA Draft Lottery, where it will be revealed if San Antonio will have the opportunity to take Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick. Orlando has the sixth-best odds at landing the No. 1 overall pick.
In the newest power rankings by CBS Sports, Orlando lands at No. 24 with their final 34-48 record. The Detroit Pistons, who will have a new head coach next year, ranked last at No. 30.
"Nothing but excitement coming from Orlando, where the Magic exceeded expectations with Rookie of the Year favorite Paolo Banchero and emerging young talent in Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Markelle Fultz," CBS Sports writes. "Orlando went from a 103.9 offensive rating last season to 111.3 this season."
The future looks bright in Orlando, a surprising turn around campaign has solidified Banchero's case as favorite for Rookie of the Year.
"We always knew how good we were," Banchero said on "The Ryen Russillo Podcast." "We just didn't have anybody to start the year, me and [Franz Wagner] were playing point guard...Once guys started to come back we started beating a lot of teams. Obviously the league was kinda surprised and whatnot but we knew how good we were."
A look at the postseason picture ... The No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets locked down home-court advantage while the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers seem to be trending up at the right time. The Bucks are the favorites to win the championship while the defending-champion Golden State Warriors successfully avoided the Play-In-Tournament with the No. 6 seed.
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