Building From the Bottom

During the 2021-22 season, the Orlando Magic finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the second-worst in the entire NBA.

Orlando possessed the third-youngest team in the league this past season behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies. The first season under first-year head coach Jamahl Mosley did not go quite as planned, but with the NBA Draft looming on the horizon, Orlando has a massive opportunity to alter its future.

The Magic have some promising young players, and many high draft picks like Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, or even the 21-year-old RJ Hampton. Anthony made the step during his sophomore year, while Wagner showed that he has legit potential to be a regular starter in this league.

The largest piece in the Nikola Vucevic trade. Wendell Carter Jr., had his best season as a professional, averaging his most points and rebounds per game throughout a single season.

Orlando finished 29th in offensive rating in the NBA and is simply looking for other potential top draft picks to improve. On top of offensive rating, the Magic were 28th in the league in net rating at -8.1 points per 100 possessions. Suggs showed lots of promise in transition and on the defensive end, but with its first number one overall pick since 2004, the Magic have little room to make a mistake.

C/O: Getty Images

Following a 27-point loss to the Hornets at the beginning of April that essentially summed up the season for Orlando, Mosley spoke on the team's future, stating, "The one message that we continue to have is us sticking together and fighting for one another... It is good that we hang our hats on being a together team and holding each other accountable and keeping each other tight. I want our guys to continue to stay together, to keep fighting for one another, and just staying the course... Guys go down, but we also ask that the next-man-up mentality. Continue to come in the game, do your job, and continue to protect and work with your teammates. We did a good job of that."

Mosley seems like he is in for the long haul for a team that has by far the most work to do compared to any other franchise in the league. Orlando is not an attractive city to play in like it was when Shaquille O'Neal was walking the streets, the city known for its magic has taken second fiddle to its Florida counterpart to the south of them.

Each offseason, there is usually a massive trade that looks like it could shake up the complexion of the NBA for the foreseeable future. Since the big three in Brooklyn did not pan out the way the group wanted it to, the development of players inside the organization since draft day has become the new recipe for success. If the Magic want to get back to their glory days, there are no cutting corners, Orlando needs to develop what it has along with drafting what it needs the most.

The Magic essentially have three options when it comes to the number one pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. It is not the years of the past where there is a consensus top pick like Zion Williamson, Orlando has to make a choice, and this decision could very well decide how quickly the rebuild is going to take. Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, and Jabari Smith Jr. are all looked upon as the three individuals that will go in the top three, but the order in which they will go varies depending on which expert is asked.

Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman and the entire organization have been working tirelessly to attempt to make the best decision possible with the information that they have gathered.

Holmgren has the most upside of possibly any player, but his questionable frame asks questions about how much work needs to be put in for the Gonzaga product to reach his fullest potential. Smith is a versatile player with length that can shoot the rock with the best of them. He fills the scoring void on the Magic right now and has the potential to grow into a star wing on both ends of the floor. Smith no doubt needs work on his ball-handling, and with such a high percentage of his shots from the perimeter, would that deter Smith from attacking the cup?

Possibly the most NBA-ready offensive player when it comes to the whole package is Banchero. The Duke product has the ability to do a little bit of everything on the offensive end. From elite footwork in the paint to a silky fadeaway jumper that few have the length to contest, Banchero has all the tools to grow into a solid scorer at the next level. He can be a streaky shooter at times and could lack the potential on the defensive end considering his position at the pro level could be up for debate.

Nevertheless, this decision by Orlando is going to make or break the entire franchise. The Magic have had top picks in years past, but none of them were in the spot the rest of the teams in the lottery wished they were. The entire draft board is in front of them, and so is the future of the franchise. The Magic have not finished higher than the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference since 2012, but for right now, Orlando needs to focus on getting better each and every day. Buy into the system that Mosley is preaching during the offseason and in practice. Anthony demonstrated the talents of a solid starting point guard, while Wagner looks to be a key piece for the Magic for years to come.

The most encouraging statistic is the fact that Orlando was seventh in the NBA in defensive rating following the All-Star break. Almost every player on the team was playing a lot better towards the end of the season compared to the beginning of the year. After the All-Star break, the Magic had a better record than the Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls who both finished in the top eight of the Eastern Conference. From the worst record in the first half of the regular season, Orlando started to slowly move in the right direction.

C/O: Getty Images

While it is not the most obvious of signs, it is something for Mosley to build on heading into next season. Mosley is going to keep working and with his strength in building relationships with his players, everyone on the team trusts him. He did a masterful job keeping the head of all of the players on the goal of just finishing the season on a strong note. Winning expectations are on the horizon, and with Mosley now looking to build the skills of many of the young players, the importance of the draft is emphasized even more.

He began to get better with the rotations as the season went on, and as a young coach, Mosley was willing to try as many new things as possible to change the outcome of how the Magic finished their season. There was little pressure on Mosley during his first season as the head coach but with one of the biggest decisions of the franchise's history coming up, Mosley will have more eyes on him with more players maturing combining with the player that is selected number one overall. From Carter Jr., to Anthony to Wagner, the Magic have a plethora of young talent, and with the addition of either Holmgren or Smith, Orlando might be on the path to another season of the most positive growth it has seen in quite a while.