Magic Scramble For Solutions As Once-Promising Season Slipping Away

The Magic’s season is rapidly slipping away, with Thursday’s loss to the Bulls marking their fifth straight defeat. They are now scrambling for answers as they struggle to regain the NBA form that once seemed so promising.

Last season, Orlando appeared to be on an upward trajectory, following a path similar to that of the Thunder and Rockets.

All three teams added top-tier talent through the 2022 draft, and with the duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner leading the charge, the Magic secured the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They pushed the Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. But this year, while the Thunder sit atop the Western Conference and Houston is firmly in the playoff mix, the Magic find themselves in ninth place, fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament.

“It’s a different year,” Banchero said, via Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “It’s almost the end of this season, so we’re a different team. Teams, I think, are seeing what our weaknesses are and they’re attacking it, and we’ve had trouble adjusting.”

Injuries and struggles from beyond the arc have been central to Orlando’s woes. Defensive standout Jalen Suggs is out for the season, while Banchero and Wagner both missed significant stretches earlier in the year.

As a result, the trio of Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs have shared the floor for just 97 minutes together in the 2024 campaign. The Magic are 9-20 when Suggs is absent.

The team has also felt the absence of Moritz Wagner, who has been sidelined for extended periods. Wagner is not only the Magic’s most efficient three-point shooter but also a key contributor at center, a position where the team has struggled. Orlando ranks dead last in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage, a significant hindrance to their offensive efficiency.

“The message at the end was we’ve got to fight our way out of this funk,” said coach Jamahl Mosley. “That’s exactly what it is. It’s a funk, and we’ve got to fight our way out of it.”

As the season winds down, the Magic face an uphill battle to avoid a lost year. The promise that was evident last season now seems a distant memory, and they’ll need to find a way to regroup quickly if they hope to salvage their NBA playoff aspirations.