Opinions about the NBA and even the Orlando Magic run the gamut as we enter the quiet part of the offseason.<\/p>\n
No one doubts their playoff credentials at this point, but everyone debates just how good the Magic can be<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are arguments about whether Paolo Banchero is worth the max contract — John Hollinger of The Athletic, leaning on his analytics models, is notably skeptical<\/a>, but others think Banchero can be an MVP candidate this season<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are arguments about Franz Wagner’s ceiling<\/a> and whether the Magic are truly ready to step up to this higher level of pressure. Pressure is a privilege, and these doubts and criticisms are all part of the equation.<\/p>\n Then there is the simple acknowledgment that this is a weakened Eastern Conference<\/a> with two perennial contenders likely regrouping after their star players suffered major injuries. The Magic almost must take that step up this season and establish themselves before those teams inevitably bounce back.<\/p>\n The question is whether the Magic will actually do this.<\/p>\n The talent is undeniable. Banchero and Wagner put up numbers worthy of the max contracts<\/a> they signed. The team has made the Playoffs the last two years with an elite defense. They are young enough to continue expecting internal development.<\/p>\n But are they ready to contend in the Eastern Conference? Are they truly ready to take that next step. It is fair to ask and there are other teams just as hungry with the potential to take that step up just as much as the Magic are.<\/p>\n That was the argument Jeff Teague made in saying the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks were bigger threats in the Eastern Conference than the Orlando Magic on his Club 520 Podcast (note: podcast is NSFW).<\/p>\n “The Magic ain’t never won,” Teague said<\/a>. “Why do you keep talking about [them] like they are like that. We’ve [Teague played for the Hawks for most of his career] been to the Eastern Conference Finals, we know what it takes.”<\/p>\n There is a ton of debate and discussion about the Magic and their place in the East, and who in the East they might be able to beat. That has been something they have been debating<\/a> throughout the offseason. It is something everyone has debated this offseason.<\/p>\n The move to acquire Desmond Bane, a splashy and aggressive move that turned heads, seems to have lifted the team’s expectations<\/a> and hopes.<\/p>\n But, like every other team in the Eastern Conference, nobody believes they can do it until they do it. The Magic have not won a playoff series yet. It is hard to say firmly what this team can and cannot do.<\/p>\n Lacking winning experience<\/p>\n The point about winning experience is a fair one to make. <\/p>\n Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones are the only players who have been out of the first round on the Magic’s roster, and they both did it together when they were with the Memphis Grizzlies. <\/p>\n Then again, the Magic added championship experience in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last summer, and that did not help much in the end.<\/p>\n Orlando has had several years with this same roster mostly intact, but they have not won in the Playoffs.<\/p>\n Getting playoff experience is still vital for this team.<\/p>\n