Magic Most Surprising Team in NBA This Season?

The NBA has had a few surprises this season with teams overperforming expectations. Is the Orlando Magic the biggest one of all?

Jeremy Brener | Mar 4, 2023

Magic Most Surprising Team in NBA This Season? /

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is celebrating its 27th victory of the season, a 117-106 win against the Charlotte Hornets. That's already five wins more than the team's total (22) for all of last season.

The Magic's success has planted the team on Bleacher Report's Most Pleasantly Surprising Teams, ranking fifth.

"The Magic are still a bad team—but one that could add as many as 10 wins to last year's total of 22," Bleacher Report writes. "That's respectable progress, and the upside is undeniable with Banchero running away with Rookie of the Year and Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. profiling as quality long-term starters."

With 18 games left in the season, the Magic can still improve and maybe even sneak into the Play-In Tournament. Orlando sits just four games back of the Washington Wizards for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. But even if the Magic lands in the lottery again, there's enough momentum to pick things back up next season, where Orlando should be even better.

"Right now, the Magic have one of the most promising rebuilds out there," Bleacher Report writes. "Don't be shocked if these guys rise above the play-in fray as early as next season, with the added bonus of two more lottery picks coming on board in this year's draft."

The Magic begins a four-game homestand tomorrow night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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Published Mar 4, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.