Will the Orlando Magic Make the NBA Playoffs for a Third Straight Season?

The Orlando Magic are one of the most puzzling teams in the NBA, as the team seems to be going in all sorts of directions with their rebuild. While Orlando didn’t make any big Free-Agent signings in 2020, they still seem to have ambitions of making a third straight push to the Playoffs. Orlando did get better as a team, as 2020 1st-round pick Cole Anthony will provide a spark for the Offense, and Free Agent signings Dwayne Bacon and Michael-Carter Williams give Orlando well-needed depth. There is plenty of reason to be optimistic for Orlando in 2020, especially with Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony teaming up in the backcourt.

But did Orlando improve enough? The Hawks, Bulls, Hornets, and Wizards ALL got better in the off-season, and none of these teams made the Playoffs in 2019. This means that Orlando will be fighting against four (or more) teams just to lock the 8th seed, and then they’ll probably be swept by the first seed in the East. Orlando won’t even have Jonathan Isaac or Al-Farouq Aminu for the beginning of the season. Needless to say, Orlando’s going to have an uphill battle to secure a playoff spot in 2020.

The Argument FOR the Orlando Magic making the Playoffs: Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony teaming up in the Backcourt

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Fultz and Anthony will both play massive roles in Orlando’s success in the upcoming NBA Season

Believe it or not, but Orlando ranked inside the top-ten in Opponent’s PPG (108.3 PPG, 5th in the NBA) and Defensive Rating (109.5, 10th in the NBA). Orlando’s Defense was underrated across the league. The Offense, however, was the main problem. Orlando’s Offense ranked in the bottom-third in Scoring (107.3 PPG, 24th in the NBA), Pace (98.6, 25th in the NBA), and Offensive Rating (108.5, 23rd in the NBA). Drafting Anthony should change all of that. The North Carolina product averaged 18.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.0 APG on 38% from the field and 34.8% from the 3-point line last season. Anthony even averaged the 2nd-most PPG as a freshman in UNC history, showing just how good of a scorer he is. He did earn All-ACC 3rd team honors in 2019. Anthony may play behind Fultz and Evan Fournier in the backcourt to begin the season.

As for Fultz, he’ll try to capitalize on his fourth season after having a career year in Orlando. Fultz averaged 12.1 PPG, 5.1 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and shot 46.5% from the field. These stats were all career highs for Fultz, and he should be able to build off of this in 2020. Fultz was the number one overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers but quickly struggled in Philly’s Offense. Philadelphia traded Fultz to the Magic for Jonathon Simmons, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick. After Fultz’s rookie season, he was out until November with a nerve condition in his shoulder. Fultz played in 33 games with the Sixers over two seasons, averaging 7.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.4 APG on 41.4% from the field.

The Argument Against the Orlando Magic making the Playoffs: Did Orlando get good enough to compete with the Rising Teams in the East?

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Westbrook and the Wizards will give the Magic problems, as well as the Hawks, Bulls, Hornets, and even the Pistons

Orlando looks like a solid team that can make the playoffs, but will they? The Magic lost Isaac and Farouq-Aminu at the beginning of the season and didn’t have much time to replace those two players. Orlando will have to beat out the Wizards, Hornets, Bulls, and the Hawks just to make the playoffs. The Wizards now have two All-Stars in Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook. The Hornets drafted their Franchise cornerstone LaMelo Ball and signed Gordon Hayward. The Bulls replaced former Head Coach Jim Boylen with the Thunder’s former Head Coach, Bill Donovan. Finally, the Hawks made a plethora of Offseason moves, signing Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rajon Rondo, and Kris Dunn. Atlanta also drafted Onyeka Okongwu and Skylar Mays in the NBA Draft.

Author’s Final Prediction

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Although Orlando is a good team, they just don’t have enough firepower to make the Playoffs for a third straight season in a competitive Eastern Conference

Orlando will definitely be able to compete with these teams, even without Isaac and Farouq-Aminu, but it will be tough. Orlando’s backcourt will play a pivotal role in this, as the Offense’s success will depend on Fultz’s and Anthony’s production. James Ennis, Gary Clark, and Mo Bamba will all need to step up in the absence of Isaac and Farouq-Aminu. Orlando will also need All-Star Center Nikola Vucevic to return to his All-Star form this season. It’ll also help Orlando’s cause if one of the four teams we mentioned above sputters and misses the Playoffs once again. Whether Orlando makes or misses the Playoffs in the 2020-2021 season, this one will certainly be interesting for all of us, especially for the Magic.

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