Future Power Rankings: Where Does Magic Rank?

The Orlando Magic finished last season 22-60 but enter the year with No.1 pick Paolo Banchero.

ORLANDO - With the buzz the Orlando Magic has been generating this offseason, it is not far fetched to picture a future playoff team with this young core.

But just how good can this team be over the next few seasons?

According to Bleacher Report’s most recent power rankings predicting each team’s next three years, the Magic ranked in the No. 24 spot.

The list used numerous different factors, including whose recent success suggests future success, with the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. seeing themselves placed in between the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder.

“The Orlando Magic were plus-4.0 points per 100 possessions when [Carter], [Wagner] and Gary Harris were all on the floor last season,” Bleacher Report said. “And in 2022-23, they'll presumably add fully healthy versions of Markelle Fultz (who only managed 18 appearances in 2021-22), Jonathan Isaac (who looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate when he last played) and No. 1 pick [Banchero.]”

This is not the first time the Magic have been ranked among the best young groups in the association, with Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro placing the team at No. 9 in its recent rankings.

This amount of optimism should come as no surprise with Wagner dominating for Germany at EuroBasket, and Banchero playing as advertised over his two appearances in Summer League.

“With Wagner, Banchero, Isaac and Chuma Okeke, Orlando has an intriguing group of potentially positionless forwards,” Bleacher Report said. “Even if they're near the bottom of the East again this season, it's not hard to imagine the Magic turning a corner sometime shortly after that.”

The Magic begin the 2023 regular season on October 19th against the Pistons. 

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