
Orlando Magic
Let's get crazy.
There is no reason to be optimistic about the Magic. They ranked 29th in points per possession, and 24th in points allowed. Lineups with Aaron Gordon at power forward, his appropriate position and the one he will mercifully play this season, fared poorly. Continuity doesn't mean much when you bring back mediocre players who don't fit.
But it means something. Look: One of these sorry ass teams is going to randomly win 38 games and butt into the playoff walkathon. Frank Vogel spent a year discovering what doesn't work. Dig deeper, and a lot of the lineups that failed with Gordon at power forward involved Jeff Green and other nonentities who aren't here anymore.
Orlando has a bunch of decent players either entering their primes, or in the thick of them -- including Elfrid Payton and an interesting three-man wing rotation of Evan Fournier, Jonathon Simmons and Terrence Ross. Someone might pop. Maybe several guys make mini-pops -- common at their ages -- that combust into something greater.
The structural problems haven't gone away. Nikola Vucevic can't anchor a defense, and Bismack Biyombo is an anchor that sinks any offense. Spacing will be cramped with Gordon, Payton, and Simmons on the floor -- and, really, with any two of them.
But there is talent here. Vogel can coach. If this team can't win 35 games in this conference, just blow the whole damned thing up. If the new front office pivots in that direction at midseason, shove the Magic into bottom tier.
Rating NBA tiers: Warriors to worst and every team between