Grading the Orlando Magic's season entering All-Star Break

They are 28-25 entering the break!

Nov 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) and forward Franz Wagner (22) celebrate with guard Anthony Black (0) after Black makes a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

At last, we have reached the All-Star break, and it hasn't been the most enjoyable first "half" for the Orlando Magic, who are currently 28-25 at the midway point. We asked our panel how they would grade the team's first 53 games, and here's what they had to say!

Ethan Skolnick:

The record itself (28-25) isn't awful, and there's still time to grab a playoff seed without the play-in. But the reality is, this wasn't supposed to be so tenuous. Orlando was projected to be in the top-4. Injuries have hurt for sure, but they always do, and the consistency simply hasn't been there. Desmond Bane has played well, but not been able to fix the shooting troubles alone, and Paolo Banchero isn't really taking the franchise-changing step that everyone hoped for. Not yet, anyway. The Magic need to lean on defense the rest of the way; that's the chance to win a first-round series.

Grade: C

Jeremy Brener:

The Orlando Magic have been disappointing this year to say the least. After acquiring Desmond Bane over the summer, the Magic were expected to be one of the top four teams in the East. The team is currently at number seven and it's clear there are a lot of fundamental issues regarding the team. That being said, their injuries do curve this grade a bit as they simply just haven't been 100% healthy all year long. Overall, they are still over .500 and have a shot to be better than they were last year, so they get a decent grade.

Grade: C-

Tony Mejia:

Sure, this could be a below-average grade, but since these aren't going on any transcripts, there's no point in piling on. Orlando hasn't emerged as an Eastern Conference power, but remains atop the Southeast despite a ton of injuries. The Magic have seen Anthony Black emerge as a huge contributor due to the increased touches he's received due to the absences of Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, while Desmond Bane has been solid after a slow start. Judge them by what they do going forward.

Grade: Incomplete

Matt Hanifan:

It's been a really disappointing season for Orlando, who had high hopes in a wide open East heading into the season. Alas, it has found itself in the middle and on track to make its second-straight play-in. A part of that is due to injury. Franz Wagner has missed 25 games; Paolo Banchero's missed 10; Jalen Suggs has missed 20. But Orlando has simply underperformed, ranking No. 19 in offense and No. 14 in defense, where they were a top-3 unit each of the previous two seasons.

Grade: C-