Miami Heat Scouting the Enemy: Orlando Magic
We’re preparing for the coming NBA season by scouting the divisional opponents of the Miami Heat. Next up on the list is the Orlando Magic.
Much like the Miami Heat will be doing this season as they prepare for their opponents, we’re going to break down each divisional rival in regards to their offseason and their outlook for the 2019-20 season. As we move through the Southeast Division, we now look at the Orlando Magic, a team that can certainly fight for the top spot in the division.
Off-season Review
The Orlando Magic didn’t do much to their roster from last season. They did have key re-signings, the 16th overall pick in the NBA draft, and the signing of Al-Farouq Aminu.
The main off-season move was the re-signing of All-Star center, Nikola Vucecic. Vucevic has been the best player for the Magic for quite some time now. He had a career year last year, setting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, 3-point percentage, true shooting percentage, while he also had a significant increase in many other advanced statistics.
The next move was re-signing Terrence Ross, another key player that was highly crucial in the Magic’s success. He was their spark-plug off the bench and will continue to be one.
There is a reason why people call him the Human Torch. He should provide offense, offense, and more offense, which is exactly what the Magic need.
One of the feature new additions was in the signing of Al-Farouq Aminu. The Magic’s core is young and most players on that team don’t have much playoff experience.
That is what Aminu brings to the table. He is the typical player that every organization would want on their team, he’s the definition of what commentators and analysts mean when they refer to someone as a pro’s pro.
During the NBA draft, the Magic used their 16th pick to select Chuma Okeke, a power forward from the Auburn Tigers. However, he won’t be with the team, seeing as he tore his ACL during last season’s NCAA tournament.
Outlook
The same team we saw last year will be the same team that we will see this year, though with some improvements.
Last season, the Orlando Magic finished the season with 42 wins, while making the playoffs as the seventh seed. Their season quickly ended, even though they managed to steal one game away from the eventual champions after D.J Augustin came through in the clutch for a game.
We’ve already talked about what Vucevic and Ross bring to the table, but what about the rest of the roster? The other players that will play a vital role on this team are mostly the younger players.
Aaron Gordon has been improving in each of his seasons in the league and I don’t think that will stop just yet. The 23-year-old was the second-leading scorer and second in rebounding for the Magic during last season.
While his numbers were impressive and important for this team’s success, what was more important, was the fact that he played almost the entire season. He is now heading into his sixth and will hopefully be the reason why the Magic have more success.
Next is the potential Most Improved Player candidate in Markelle Fultz. It is an understatement to say that Fultz has had a disappointing start to his career.
After being selected with the number one pick two seasons ago, along with the fact that he’s only played in a total of 33 games, Fultz has a lot to prove. This team has needed a point guard for quite some time and there is a high chance that Fultz could be their x-factor.
As we approach the rest of the team, we get to names that include Jonathan Isaac, who’s another candidate to have a breakout year. Mohamed Bamba should perhaps be looking to play more minutes and have a bigger role. You also have to mention Evan Fournier, who is going to be the same guy as he has been, giving the team much-needed offense and shooting.
This team hasn’t technically improved as much when it comes to acquiring new talent, but the improvement from within of their young players and their core could potentially be all the improvement that they need.
Next. Miami Heat Scouting the Enemy: Washington Wizards. dark
Out of all the teams in the division, the Magic are the team that will challenge the Miami Heat for the best record in the division, and potentially in the rankings of the conference as well. Nevertheless and without bias, the Miami Heat should still be the better team considering that they added arguably a top-15 player to an already elite defense, with an up-and-coming young core.