NBA Mid-Season Grades: Celtics standout; Warriors, Lakers receive failing marks

Orlando Magic

For the first couple months of the season, the Orlando Magic were one of the bigger surprises in the Eastern Conference. The young duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner continues to improve and the young Magic are certainly a team to keep an eye on heading into the future.

The Magic have run into some inconsistencies as of late, but that shouldn't be all that surprising. In fact, you can argue that's something that was expected from such a young team. The likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder have spoiled us. But even those two teams are a step or two ahead of the Magic in their current build.

With the second half of the season underway, it'll be interesting to see how the Magic responds after taking a bit of a stumble down the Eastern Conference standings. Nevertheless, at least for now, Orlando gets a strong grade for their performance in the first half of the season. They seem to be on the right track. Even with their recent struggles, this is a team that should factor into the postseason one way or another.

Grade: B