The Orlando Magic are a team who have been considered by many to be irrelevant the past few years. Since the departure of Dwight Howard, the team has struggled to find their next franchise cornerstone. However, what if I told you that the Magic ARE a solid NBA team? What if I told you they actually made the postseason last year and even managed to steal a game from the eventual NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors. Well, the Orlando Magic are poised to make a second straight playoff appearance this season and it is time to stop largely ignoring this team. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at why the Orlando Magic are a team who could at least make a series competitive.
Orlando Magic: The Playoff Team That No One Talks About
Orlando Magic: Notable Names
Many seem to think the Orlando Magic are made of nobodies. That is far from the truth. The team does have a go-to player in Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is an All-Star and is arguably a top-five big center in the league. For his career, he has tallied 16.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and an effective field goal percentage of 51.4 percent. However, Vucevic is not the only player on this squad.
Aaron Gordon may be very streaky, but when he gets hot, he is one of the most electrifying players in the league making a deadly frontcourt tandem with Vucevic. On top of this, Terrence Ross is a professional bucket getter with a career three-point shooting percentage of 37.1 percent. He may not provide much of anything else, but when the Magic need a crucial basket, Ross is the man you want with the ball in his hands.
Also, D.J. Augustin is a solid and steadying presence to have as a point guard. He is a savvy veteran who is has been a relatively successful career journeyman. Do not forget, Augustin did hit a game-winner last season in the postseason. After seeing these names, it should be clear that the Magic are far from a team from scrubs. They may not be winning a seven-game series, but they will certainly be competitive.
Who They Have Coming Up
With the season restart coming up, it makes sense to look at the seeding games the Magic have before the postseason. They start with an injury-riddled Brooklyn Nets team followed up by facing off against the Sacramento Kings. On paper, those should be fairly winnable games for the Orlando Magic.
Their third matchup will be against the defending champion, Toronto Raptors, followed by an intriguing Eastern Conference battle against the Philadelphia 76ers. These games will be significantly tougher, but the Magic can still make these games competitive. Their final three seeding games will be very intriguing.
Orlando will take on the Boston Celtics, followed by the Brooklyn Nets again and ending with the young New Orleans Pelicans led by Brandon Ingram. If we go off these seeding games on paper, the Orlando Magic SHOULD go somewhere along with lines of 4-3 or even 5-2. This should be enough to keep the Magic in the postseason picture which will make for a very fun playoff series with whoever the Orlando Magic matchup against in this year’s playoffs.
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