ESPN: Magic's Belief in Continuity Is a Blueprint to Follow

A recent ESPN article highlighted the continuity of the Orlando Magic roster as the second-highest around the NBA. Which reinforces the Magic front office's belief: If you've got a good thing going, let it keep going.

Nov 2, 2023; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts with forward Franz Wagner (22) after making a shot against the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter at the Delta Center. / rob gray-usa today sports

ORLANDO –– Roster continuity is a good thing in the long run, an ESPN story concludes, and a ranking of the NBA's 30 teams puts the Orlando Magic at No. 2.

Over the past several years, Orlando has closely followed a blueprint focused on development and letting in-game experience season its young players. The Magic's strategy has translated to success that appears replicable for years to come.

As the adage goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But for a decade, despite regular tinkering, the Magic were broken.

Fifteen seasons ago, the Magic played in the Eastern Conference Finals, a year removed from the franchise's second-ever shot at the Larry O'Brien trophy. Dwight Howard was the best defender in basketball. The Magic looked to be a consistent player in the Eastern Conference hierarchy.

But the 2009-10 season instead features the Magic's most recent playoff series win. In a matter of three years, Orlando went from 59 wins to dead last in the East. Coach Stan Van Gundy was gone, and between the 2012-13 and 2018-19 seasons, four head coaches came and went, too.

Poor draft luck and Band-aid trades further buried the franchise and the Magic became East bottom-feeders for the majority of the 2010s.

To change the team's fortune, Orlando crafted a longer-term vision for a turnaround. In May 2017, Jeff Weltman was hired as president of basketball operations and was tasked with digging the Magic out of the mud.

Orlando plunged into a rebuild once again, but this time with direction. Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon among others were shipped elsewhere with the intention of using draft capital to build a new, youthful core.

The draft brought Cole Anthony (2020), Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner (2021), and Paolo Banchero (2022). In just three seasons, the Magic had a foundation for a new era. Jamahl Mosley, hired three years ago, gave Orlando a young head coach to match.

Mar 17, 2024; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) celebrates with Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at KIA Center. / jeremy reper-usa today sports

In three seasons, a perennial loser became a No. 5 seed in the playoffs. NBA observers rate the Magic as a challenger in the Eastern Conference. The blueprint is working.

Nine of the rostered Magic players entering the 2024-25 NBA season came to Orlando through the draft – all during Weltman's tenure. Many others by way of trade or free agency have been with the Magic for multiple years running now, such as Wendell Carter Jr. and Gary Harris.

According to the ESPN report, the Magic return the second-best share of minutes and fourth-best returning wins above replacement since the 2021-22 season. Only one team returns more playing time and production when paired together (Houston), and the Magic check in ahead Boston, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Houston, like Orlando, has an intriguing core of young players and an exciting outlook. The NBA champion Celtics and Thunder rosters are older than the Magic players, but each side first went through growing pains on their way to contention.

Their success clarifies the Magic's formula: While everyone else's impatience often leads to short-sighted moves, belief in the long game could prove itself correct.

If the two teams in the driver's seats of their respective conferences saw success from waiting it out and trusting in their development, why shouldn't Orlando?

The budding superstar is there in Paolo Banchero. Franz Wagner is Robin to his Batman, and Jalen Suggs' emergence as the third key contributor was a more-than-welcome sight that the Magic hope repeats itself this season. It doesn't stop there, either.

Winning teams have to be deeper and multi-faceted in today's NBA.

The Magic's supporting cast will include a second year of Anthony Black – the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Summer League numbers put up by Tristan da Silva, the 2024 No. 18 pick, suggest an immediate bench contribution. Jonathan Isaac, an otherworldly defender, has been extended through 2029.

Above all, the Magic's improvement justified returning much of the same roster back without drastic changes. Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn't log-jam the progress of young talent but rather accelerates the timeline for Orlando to be a serious player in the East.

Team chemistry abounds as a collective learns to play together, experience the peaks and valleys of the NBA marathon, and triggers the best to come out of each individual.

Short-sighted fixes often end up fostering longer-term problems. The Magic's patient approach could be ushering in a golden era of Orlando basketball.

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

• MAGIC CAN RISE IN EAST: Why two Boston Celtics legends believe in Orlando's ability to rise this season. CLICK HERE
• NBA CENTRAL PREVIEW: Three teams in the Central Division finished with similar or identical records to the Orlando Magic in 2023-24. How do they stack up versus one another entering the 2024-25 season? CLICK HERE
• MAGIC PLAYER RANKINGS: HoopsHype has published its annual rankings of the top 30 players at each of the five positions ahead of the 2024-25 season. Here's where the Orlando Magic's players check in at each position. CLICK HERE

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