NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
In every rebuild, there comes a time when you want to see a major leap to show you are on the right path and doing things right. This is the point we have come to with the Orlando Magic NO one is saying playoffs even though that would be nice, but a solid year, maybe an All-Star player would be good. All the high draft picks, splash highlights throughout the season, and promises on paper need to come together in 2023. You also need to find out who makes the final cut and who is moved onto another team.
A roster full of young talented hoopers chomping at the bit to put the league on notice and bring back the hype to the Magic Kingdom. Last season was the definition of an up-and-down year finishing with a 34-48 record and a 4-game losing streak. But to go from 22 wins to 34 and add a Rookie of the Year trophy to the franchise is not bad at all. Well, wipe all that away, and with players like Franz Wagner winning a gold medal and the current rookie of the year Paolo Banchero. A team with enough guards for two college basketball teams needs to figure out who is part of the future. Also, they are looking at 12 free agents next season so this is one major audition for many.
The clear building blocks are Banchero and Franz Wagner I really hope the injury bug and shooting woes are long gone for Markelle Fultz the best of the group of guards. Those three along with some kind of positive production from Johnathan Isaac who is better known for his off-the-court activities than his play. Head coach Jamahl Mosley is preaching defense and doing the work the way this team played defense toward the end of the season showing that they can lock down when they are healthy and need to. Watching games one thing that stood out was the amount of turnovers they had which of course meant points for the other team. Reducing that number and being better in the half-court on offense can be added to this year’s to-do list.
A big need is shooting the numbers don’t like ranking 24th in three-point shooting, and 27th in attempts which landed Orlando 26th in offensive rating. Hopefully, a healthy Joe Ingles will help with that along with veteran leadership. I like Markelle as a 6th man off the bench a point guard who can bring some punch and push the pace. So are Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony the answer at starting PG, Anthony looked VERY good when he was asked to come off the bench, so will they change his role? We will find out soon enough and even more youth has been added with rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard. Black has stud two-way player written all over him and if he can create his own shot in the NBA Howard is no srub.
It is safe to say that what Orlando Magic fans want to see is an improved team that brings maximum effort night in and night out. Being put in Group C of the first NBA Play-In Tournament isn’t an easy task but anything could happen. A battle to get into the play-in game is very possible and should in my opinion be expected from this team. It will be interesting to see what if anything is done around the trade deadline and who cements their place as a part of the Magic future. I for one am super stoked to see the kingdom get another piece added to it. Rep the Magic with the latest gear from our friends at the NBA Store.
