The Orlando Magic are the fast risers in the East. The 47-win No. 5 seed last season was built around a lock-down defense and led by a young core of Paolo Banchero and just extended Franz Wagner. This summer they added shooting with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (although they did not land the floor general point guard the playoffs made clear they need).
However, just how fast a riser are they? Oddsmaker Draft Kings has Orlando with the seventh-longest odds to win the East. NBC Sports’ summer NBA Power Rankings had the Magic sixth in the conference.
That’s not how the Magic see it, they expect a step forward from last season. Banchero said on ESPN’s First Take that the Magic should be considered with Boston, Philadelphia, and New York at the top of the conference (hat tip NBA.com).
“Getting KCP is going to help us a lot. That’s a guy that’s won two championships in the last five seasons. He’s been around some of the greatest of all time. So, he’s going to be able to come out and make a huge difference for us. We’re a really young team and getting that playoff experience, a top-five seed last year, a lot of momentum heading into next season...
“We feel like we’re right there. We’re right there with all those [teams]. I remember last year, we started the year off as a top-two, top-three seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were going to be a play-in team and drop out the top of the East. We finished strong and got the fifth seed and had a chance to really grab the two seed at the end of the season. We were right there last year.”
That’s exactly what Orlando wants its leader to say.
Orlando should be better this season, both because of KCP and the development of their young players. However, the top of the East got better as well. Boston brings back the top seven in its rotation from a title team, New York added Mikal Bridges, Philadelphia added Paul George, and Cleveland is banking on new coach Kenny Atkinson getting more out of the same core, which is the same job Doc Rivers has in Milwaukee. Indiana and Miami have talent and are still lurking.
All of which is to say, Orlando may be better this season and it might not show up in the standings. That said, with its defense, Orlando not only should be a top-six team (and avoid the play-in) but also the idea of them getting home court in the first round is not out of the question.
Orlando remains a team on the rise, the only question is how big is their next step this season.
