Magic Aim for Second Half Turnaround
Orlando, FL— The first 56 games of the season have not treated the Magic well, given the immense number of injuries they’ve had to endure and the offensive shooting woes that have continued to hinder this team significantly.
Despite a litany of injuries and excuses the team could make, they didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for themselves as they continued to keep their head above water and put themselves in a position to make a run post-All-Star break.
“It’s been a roller coaster up and down,” Anthony Black said Wednesday after the team captured a 16-point victory against the Charlotte Hornets. “We never lost our confidence throughout all the highs and lows. Dudes getting injured, dudes coming back. Despite where we’re at, I think we’re actually in a good position to make a run in that second half of the year — I think we’re gonna come out playing even harder than we have been.”
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For context, top players such as Paolo Banchero (34 games), Franz Wagner (20 games), Jalen Suggs (21 games), and Moritz Wagner (26 games), have all missed extended time and that’s been the biggest wrench in the team’s struggles this season so far.
“We’ve had about three seasons in one,” Jamahl Mosley said after the Magic’s win over the Hornets on Wednesday night. “It’s growth, it’s adversity, it’s leaning into the adversity and understanding how you can be better down the stretch. What it has done is given us a glimpse of what we can do when we are whole. And then it’s also given us a glimpse of when things get difficult, how we respond. This group has shown that they’re capable of doing that.”
Having used 21 different starting lineups and having to rely on depth pieces such as Trevelin Queen, Caleb Houstan, and Corey Joseph for extended periods of time, it has given players who normally wouldn’t get a lot of opportunity to shine and flourish.
Importance of the Final 26 Games
Orlando currently sits with a record of 27-29, they’re the seventh seed in the East in the Play-In slot, they’re 2.5 games out of the sixth seed currently owned by the Detroit Pistons and just a half-game above the Miami Heat for the ninth seed.
Every game from here on out is going to be extremely important for the Magic to keep themselves in the postseason and not potentially slip in the standings.
Orlando’s two young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner stressed the importance of the guys taking this time to rest but to also make sure everyone stays laser-focused on understanding the importance of the back half of the season.
“Rest your body, rest your mind [and] come back fresh for the last 26 games,” Franz Wagner said. “And then have the right mindset coming into every game knowing that, our situation, we can’t take any game for granted.”
“It’s everyone’s personal responsibility to take the time that you need, but also be ready to go when you come back because we’re not in a position where we can relax,” Banchero said. “Guys got to come back and we’ve got to all be ready.”
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Getting Jalen Suggs Back and Healthy
Jalen Suggs, missed his ninth straight game Wednesday with a left thigh contusion. He missed 18 of the last 19 games before the break and his absence has been felt significantly.
In an interview on “Open Mike” with Mike Bianchi, Orlando’s President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman attributed a lot of the team’s struggles to a lack of rhythm, and continuity, and to lead guard Jalen Suggs who has been in and out of the lineup over the last 20+ games.
“I’m not trying to make excuses here. But injuries have clearly up-ended the rhythm and cadence of our season, and we’re still going through that right now,” Weltman said. “I think we need to take a deep breath, hopefully, we can regain our footing, and we’ll make assessments as we go.”
Jamahl Mosley in the pregame before the Hawks game on February 10th, stated how he doesn’t want to put all of the team’s struggles on just Suggs’ absence.
“There’s different pieces you have to look at and it’s never one person,” Mosley said. “I think it’s just finding those pieces and how to put them together the best way possible. You cannot replace what that young man does — To put that all on him, I don’t want to do that. We can’t do that. Because it is about other guys being able to step into the moment.”
Mosley continued to give injury updates on Suggs in his recovery process.
“I think it’s just very important that we keep understanding that everyone’s body is different. How they respond to treatment is different,” Mosley said. “When he comes back, whatever moment that may be, we’re going to have him on a minutes restriction. We’re going to make sure he’s taken care of the right way and understand exactly how we integrate guys back because this is for the long haul.”
Orlando will have a lot of ground to cover in the final 26 games of the season as they aim to secure a berth into the postseason for a second consecutive season in a row.