After a disappointing 2016-17 campaign, the Orlando Magic need a bounce back season to keep their young talent together
Last season left much to be desired for the young Orlando Magic. Frank Vogel’s rookie season as head coach in Orlando ended in unfamiliar territory for the former Pacers coach. While he brought Indiana to the postseason five of his six seasons in charge, the Magic last year finished 24 games under .500.
After pushing for a playoff spot a few seasons ago, Orlando has since let go of talented players such as Tobias Harris, Victor Oladipo, and Serge Ibaka.
Orlando’s summer was mostly quiet compared to the rest of the league’s crazy free agency period. They did, however, bring over Jonathon Simmons after his breakout in San Antonio along with former-champion Marreese Speights from LA.
So with this roster, plus Jonathan Isaac selected 6th overall in the April draft, how good can this team be?
Simply put, better. But the Magic didn’t get remarkably better from deep (32.8 3P% last year) over the summer. In a league where Cleveland, San Antonio and Golden State are all just under 40 percent from 3, hovering around 30 percent just won’t cut it.
Frank Vogel appears to be building a team of athletic, defense-first style players who attack the basket on offense. But these players need to be complimented by sharpshooters. Vogel has a tough hill to climb heading into his second season, but don’t be surprised if the team buys into the physical brand of basketball and wins a few more games.