3 Things Must Happen For Magic To Become Title Contenders

The Orlando Magic have a long offseason ahead. Currently, they watched the New York Knicks bully their way through what was viewed as a wide open Eastern Conference, while the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs duke it out in the Western Conference.

We haven't seen the Magic even sniff -- let alone make -- the NBA Finals since 2009. What must they do to get back? Let's examine!

Magic stay healthy:

This one appears obvious, especially for a Magic squad that's been perpetually hurt the last few seasons.

It never felt like the Magic's main core -- Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane -- could develop any sort of on-court rhythm because of myriad injuries. Bane may have started all 82 games, but Suggs missed 29 games while Franz played in a career-low.

Together, that quartet played just 25 games. They sported an 14.4 NET Rating when they shared the floor, but that's in a mere sample of 293 possessions. This was their first year all together, but that's not untenable if the goal is to win a title.

Of course, Orlando should focus on its ability to make it past, well, the first round before anything. But the postseason is just as much a game of health as it is a game of basketball. The team that's most healthy typically climbs the mountaintop. Injuries are random -- but that's a requisite for the Magic.

Develop more two-way depth:

Frankly, the Magic's bench was hit and miss throughout the season. Their second unit finished No. 22 in offensive rating and No. 18 in NET Rating.

Players such as Jett Howard, Jase Richardson, Noah Penda and Jamal Cain, who ended the season in their playoff rotation, were subject to bigger-than-expected roles due to the aforementioned injury bug. With a full cast of characters, Anthony Black helped bridge the bench unit, but that wasn't always enough.

Depth is paramount in today's NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and even the East champion New York Knicks wield a healthy amount of depth beyond their foremost stars. The Magic are top-heavy, but it thins out quick; the same can't be said about those other teams.

That begins with 1.) hitting on cost-controlled talent in the draft and 2.) nailing the fringe free agent signings and 3.) garnering collective buy-in, which didn't appear to be the case all the time toward the end of Jamahl Mosley's tenure.

Find a way to be a top-10 offense:

The Magic's 18th-ranked offense felt like world's better than the sad sack of waste they've fudged together over the last decade-plus. It's a step in the right direction.

That said, they're nowhere near where they need to be offensively. The next head coach must do a better job of optimizing Banchero, Wagner and Bane (assuming all are still with the organization) offensively. And president Jeff Weltman must continue to focus on adding shooting, playmaking and shot creation.

Great offense tends to beat great defense more often than not. We know what the Magic's ceiling is defensively, despite their mediocre finish this year. If they can become a top-flight offense, they'll become much more formidable in the short- and long-term.

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