The Orlando Magic’s purpose throughout the 2024 season was to reach the playoffs. They were a team that needed the experience and exposure the playoffs could bring.
Getting there would not only mean they learned how to manage the season and win consistently, graduating to a higher level of intensity and play. It would also mean the team got exposure and a chance to learn just how much detail the playoffs require.
It was an illuminating experience.
Getting to seven games showed just how on the right path the Magic are. The team grew up in a lot of ways. They had a lot of players who showed up on the big stage. The whole team showed up on the big stage in many ways.
But, ultimately, the Magic fell short. Ultimately, the Magic went home after Game 7, as exciting and promising as that series was. And they have to ask themselves why, even if they look to the future with optimism.
Today, Franz and Moe Wagner and Cole Anthony took part in an event at Planet Fitness to promote teen physical health this summer.
Moe spoke about how the reception from the Orlando community has picked up since the #Magic successful season
"You can feel a general happiness" pic.twitter.com/cgZonoBdci
— Danielle Stein (@Danielle_Stein9) May 29, 2024
The playoff defeat certainly gave the Magic a lot to think about. There are plenty of needs the team needs to address in the coming months.
The question facing several players will be whether they can step up to the plate next year. The question for a lot of players and the team itself is whether they can learn something from their playoff shortcomings.
Just as there were players who shined on the playoff stage, there were players, who lost something during the Magic’s playoff run. They have something to prove next season if they still have a spot on the team. The playoffs indeed may have been the final nail in the coffin for some players with the team.
That is the nature of the playoffs.
For a young team, it is about gaining experience. Nobody is bailing on the team just for having a bad showing in the playoffs. But every playoff failure should raise some questions. And the Magic have to think about how they can get better and who will respond from tripping up on the biggest stage.
3 Orlando Magic players who lost the most from the playoffs
3. Gary Harris
No player for the Orlando Magic likely lost more than Gary Harris from the playoffs. Every team that loses in the playoffs has a scapegoat that gets all the team’s playoff faults placed on him, and, for the Magic, that was Harris.
Every discussion about the offseason has usually centered on finding a starting guard to play alongside Jalen Suggs. That inevitably pushes Harris out as he enters free agency.
Harris did not perform in the playoffs. And unlike so many other players on the roster, Harris is a veteran. He did not have the excuse of inexperience. And with so few shooters on the roster, Harris missing three-pointers was extremely consequential.
Harris finished the postseason averaging 4.2 points per game and shooting 31.8 percent from three (7 for 22 overall). Harris was already not much of a factor in clutch situations, even in the regular season. Orlando was already moving away from him.
Harris just did not perform and this feels like a bright line for him.
It was not a good season overall for Harris either, averaging 6.9 points per game and shooting 37.1 percent from three on 3.8 attempts per game.
The Magic still found his floor-spacing beneficial. And every team needs a low-usage fifth starter. Harris still had value for the team.
But the playoffs highlighted how much the Magic needed another attacking player. Harris is not doing much on the ball besides shooting stand-still jumpers.
And while Harris hit on 37.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers during the regular season, according to Second Spectrum. All of his 22 three-point attempts in the playoffs were catch-and-shoot attempts.
Orlando needed Harris’ floor spacing. That is the one job and role he plays for this team. In the playoffs, he simply did not accomplish that goal.
And as the Magic look at their offseason, Harris’ playoff performance likely set his future with the Magic and depressed his value on the open market for one more contract.
2. Franz Wagner
On the national stage, no one is probably a bigger loser from the Orlando Magic‘s playoff run than Franz Wagner.
The Magic are just so rarely on national TV and in the spotlight, that it seemed like everyone’s impressions about this team and what they are building were cemented in Game 7. And so a lot of the national perception of the team is that the Magic need a second star to pair with Paolo Banchero.
Orlando will not throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to Wagner. The team is not going to let one bad game dictate its decisions. The Magic are still as likely to offer Wagner a max extension this offseason and confirm their belief in this young forward.
But . . . even Wagner admitted his 1-for-15 showing in Game 7 would be something he would be thinking about all offseason. There is a redemption tour on deck for Wagner, at least to prove the doubters wrong.
More than anything, Wagner needs a redemption season to prove he should be that running mate to play alongside Banchero.
Wagner’s playoff showing specifically left something to be desired. He averaged 18.9 points per game (down from 19.7 per game in the regular season). Wagner had shooting splits of 40.8/26.5/88.6.
He made only 9 of his 34 three-pointers. He made only 9 of 31 three-pointers when the closest defender was four or more feet away according to NBA.com’s tracking stats.
Wagner still had at least 15 points in all but Games 5 and 7. He scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Game 4 win. He had 26 in Game 6. It is not that Wagner cannot play well in big games and big moments.
But Wagner’s struggles throughout the regular season followed him into the playoffs. He was still excellent at driving to the basket and finishing around the rim (Game 5 layup decisions aside), but he was such a negative shooter that the Cleveland Cavaliers played him like a non-shooter.
That is the part that cannot happen. Wagner has to make enough shots to keep defenses honest. Considering that he made 35.4 and 36.1 percent from three in his first two years, this season feels like it was a blip.
Wagner improved every part of his game and had a career season…except for his shooting.
Wagner enters his offseason knowing he needs some redemption. The Magic will not waver in their support and belief in Wagner (contract negotiations aside). But Wagner took a ding in his reputation this postseason. A strong Olympic run with Germany followed by a bounceback season (where he averages 20 points per game) would go a long way.
The playoffs create pressure and the pressure is on Wagner to bounce back.
1. Jonathan Isaac
All anyone could think about as the playoffs approached was how the Orlando Magic could maximize Jonathan Isaac in the series. Everyone saw him as a true X-factor for the playoffs series. Nobody knew how the Magic would deploy him, but everyone wanted him to be anywhere.
Nobody is losing faith in Jonathan Isaac after his playoff performance. Everyone wants to include him in their trade proposals not just because of his salary (he is the highest-paid player on the team at $17 million) but because he is a game-changing defender.
The Magic certainly felt that way and felt they could deploy Isaac anywhere. And in their playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they put Isaac everywhere.
As much as the Magic value versatility and the ability for players to do everything, there is something to say about doing what players are comfortable doing. And the Magic seemed to overextend Isaac.
Isaac’s impact is measured in his defense. The Magic had a 102.1 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor. That was the best mark among rotation players on the Magic and 8.7 points per 100 possessions better than the team’s average.
In the playoffs, the Magic had an impressive 98.7 defensive rating with Isaac on the floor. But that was only 1.3 points per 100 possessions better than the team’s overall average.
Isaac got deployed everywhere. He started at center for Games 1 and 2 and struggled to deal with Jarrett Allen. The Magic had a -19 total plus/minus in the starting group with Isaac at center, and Allen had 18 and 20 rebounds in the first two games.
Even deploying Jonathan Isaac to help slow down Donovan Mitchell was a struggle.
In Game 6, Mitchell scored 10 points and shot 4 for 6 with Isaac as his primary defender, according to NBA.com’s tracking data. The Magic never really deployed Isaac on Mitchell. Perhaps that was an arrow they should have taken out of their quiver.
But the playoffs seemed to stretch Isaac thin defensively. The Cavs did a good job taking him out of plays and limiting his defensive impact—Game 4 steal and three-pointer during that incredible third quarter aside.
The bigger question for the Magic is whether they can scale Isaac’s minutes up. He played limited minutes as he came back from his injury. He played 21.0 minutes per game in the playoffs (up from 15.8 per game in the regular season). Orlando still wants as much Isaac as they can get. But there seemed to be a limit to how versatile he can be. Defining his role might still be the way to move forward.
