Can the Orlando Magic's roster match up against their rivals in the Southeast Division?
The Orlando Magic have quite a difficult road ahead of them in the Eastern Conference, and while the bigger picture is important to identify, we should also be focusing on their opponents on a smaller scale, namely in the Southeast Division.
These opponents are the ones the Magic will see the most, and for the first time in a while, each team has a chance to be a postseason contender. The Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks, the Charlotte Hornets and the Washington Wizards have all made respective changes to their rosters.
Some have been seismic, like the Heat trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo or the Wizards adding Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season. Others have not been quite as big, but still significant in their own right, such as the Hornets trading LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Hawks adding Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins in trades with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
An argument can be made that the Magic had the least eventful offseason, and I went on the Full Court Magic Podcast to grade their signings of Nikola Vucevic, Jevon Carter and Jonathan Isaac.
Those moves were made with limitations in mind, as Orlando suffers from being in the first apron. Without a major roster shakeup, no big move could be made.
It is worth wondering if, on paper, the Magic’s division rivals have exceeded them in talent. However, it is also important to keep the context in front of us as well.
For example, the Heat added Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, but they gave up such a haul to acquire them that they are now thin in depth and lacking in sufficient spacing. If Antetokounmpo or Bam Adebayo were to suffer a major injury, Miami would be in real trouble.
For the Hawks, there is a bet that last year’s team — which challenged the New York Knicks more than any other playoff opponent — can make another jump with the additions of Dort and Wiggins in the post-Trae Young era. Will Charlotte’s decision to move off Ball and put more responsibility on Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel pay off?
Then there are the Wizards, who seem to be trying to escape a years-long rebuild with the additions of proven veterans like Young, Davis and Khris Middleton. However, health is also a question mark for this team, and no precedent demonstrates that this group will work together.
All told, this is going to be a challenging division for the Magic, and there is no guarantee they will find great success in it. The only guarantee is that this is another challenge for this young roster to undergo.
