Cougar Hunting Ground?

Yes, 2 games from being a single digit win team.  The Orlando Magic head into the new season with hopes of a better record.  Not much has changed really…

Well they did bring in a new GM.  Cyrisnyte after putting players like Wall and Griffin on the market in Washington was quickly shown the door.  Always fond of Orlando, the team came calling and GM Cyrisnyte was all ears and within 24 hours had relocated to a sunnier climate.

Oh ya, they did fire their head coach and bring in former Magic point guard Scott Skiles.  GM Cyrisnyte had nothing but praise for Skiles and believe he can get a lot out of this very young roster.

Oops, we forgot…they also had the #1 draft pick and brought in rookie camp stud Adrew Wiggins.  The small forward out of Kansas became the "face of the franchise" overnight when he was selected in the CSL draft with the first overall pick.  So high are the expectations that last year's best player, "The Greek Freak", has been asked to slide over to shooting guard to allow Wiggins to take over at SF.

So where are we now with this team?  Some wonder if the GM went on vacation to prepare himself for the mental frustration which most likely will take place this upcoming season.  The Magic signed not a single player in FA and while they were after Kevin Seraphin, their bid came up just a bit short.  So what does the future look like now?

POINT GUARD


2nd year player Shane Larkin will be called on to be the floor general

Shane Larkin, fresh off his rookie season will once again take over the reins of the Magic and lead them onto the court nightly.  Larkin played well in his rookie season but he does have some glaring holes in his game.  Many GMs know that Cyrisnyte is a person who values his point guards and their ability to play defense.  Well, that makes one wonder how long Larkin will be running the show in Orlando.  He did manage 12.0 ppg and 5.3 apg during his rookie year.  His 2.3 turnovers per game were not bad considering he was on the floor for 33.4 mpg.  If Larkin does struggle look for Myck Kabongo or Jerryd Bayless to see some floor time.

SHOOTING GUARD


Giannis will be moving from SF to SG this upcoming season

The "Greek Freak" will be sliding over to the 2 from the 3 as the Magic head into their first season under GM Cyrisnyte.  Giannis with his amazing handles should do well at the 2.  He looked great in his rookie year, putting up 12.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.0 bpg.  He played in 79 games and started them all for the magic while hitting his shots at an impressive 45.3% from the floor.  The only real weakness for Giannis was his inability to get to the free throw line where he only shot an average of 1.9 free throws per game.  Look for Ricky Ledo to come off the bench where the Magic feel he is best suited to provide some instant offense.

SMALL FORWARD


Will Wiggins be the future?

19 years old and already seen as the savior for the Magic?  Umm, talk about pressure.  The rookie will take the floor and see if his ability can translate to the CSL.  While he had an impressive rookie camp showing, putting up amazing numbers across the board.  His summer league showed that while he has TONS of potential, he still has room to grow.  The Magic will give him plenty of that as they will have the rookie on the floor from day 1.  Look for Giannis to slide over some when Ledo is on the floor to give Wiggins a rest.

POWER FORWARD


Right…the Magic wished their 3 headed PF attack looked like this.

This is where the Magic have a lot to be desired.  Power Forward is a huge area of need for the Magic.  The early word is that Andre Roberson, the rookie will be given the first shot.  The Magic like his passing ability as well as his high DI to help in the blocks.  Other players may rotate in behind him though in Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Jared Jeffries.  The real story here is the cap space these players will free up after the upcoming year.  If you add in Al Harrington, the Magic will have close to $15M come off their books.

CENTER


Nerlens Noel has been put on the "Lamar Odom" diet this off-season.

You can't teach 7 foot tall, you do hope you can put weight on someone that big who weighs 206 pounds though.  Noel was pushed around the pain last year due to his lack of weight.  He managed only 5.8 rebounds per game and was only on the floor for 23.1 mpg.  He did shoot an impressive 57.4% from the floor though and managed to block 1.8 shots per game.  The main plan this offseason is…gain weight.  The Magic will be looking to fatten up Noel some, looking for the 20 year old to get to 216 at the end of training camp.  Look for the band of misfits mentioned above to give Noel a rest when he isn't on the court.

So what will happen this upcoming year?  Well to say the Magic have a youth movement is an understatement.  The projected lineup is…

PG - 21 years old
SG - 19 years old
SF - 19 years old
PF - 22 years old
C - 20 years old
6th man - 21 years old

It will be a season full of some nice wins but mostly a lot of losses.  The time will be there for these players to develop though and while it may not be much better than that 11 win total…it is all about the future.  If the Magic play their cards right, they may be the talk of Florida sooner than you think!

I said 21-30 wins because I think Giannis and Wiggins will be THAT good on the wings and Nerlens will continue to develop.

good read - think similar record to last year a real possibility

Like always. Loved reading your article Jeff. Epic pic for Noel. You Front is really paper thin and I already see guys like Cousins and Bynum bulldozing over Noel and Robertson. Question is, has Andrew enough Fire power to compensate?
I really like ledo and maybe you will get a call from Boston ..
Our games will be great! You got great Wings, we put together a strong frontcourt. Just hoping Schröder will be Developed enough to take care of Orlando:D..

I'm going 11-20. Your team is still very young and a ways away, but you could also surprise.

Some super talents but I also think less than 20. 15 wins would probably be good with this kind of youth.

I'm also going to less than 20.
Love the team, but it's still extremely raw to win.

I got 21-30. I think Wiggins, Noel, and Giannis are good enough to get you ~30 wins, and I think you could possibly overtake Washington as the #4 in the division depending on how things break for your team.

11-20, especially with Roberson starting as well to get the rooks experience.

I do expect them to improve/ develop alot though.

This team scares the crap out of me. Giannis "Athletic Freak" at SG? Andrew "Future Stud" Wiggins at SF? Nerlens "I'm a defensive beast" Noel at C? Most likely a high draft pick this year to get a good PF, cap space to find a legit starting PG, and Ricky "6th Man" Ledo off the bench... wow.