NBA Power Rankings: Celtics living up to hype; 76ers are better without Harden?

22. Orlando Magic

All of a sudden, the Orlando Magic have quickly become one of the more intriguing teams this season. There likely won’t be many that will admit it but the Magic has the chance to be one of the bigger surprises in the league this season. That’s, of course, if they can continue to carry this hot start to the season into the next couple of months. That won’t be easy for such a young team but with the level of talent that is on the roster, it’s certainly doable.

The Magic have been doing it with defense early on. They have the second-best defense in the NBA right now and their offense continues to improve. Paolo Banchero continues to look like the real deal and Franz Wagner has offered a much-needed jolt offensively for the Magic.

As their young core continues to develop, the Magic are a team that could slowly continue to rise up the rankings in the Eastern Conference. We’ll have to see more from them to fully believe it, but they’re off to a great start.