In at the moment’s recreation, everyone is aware of that the Celtics rule the East. With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Vacation, and Derrick White, they made a run via the playoffs and captured their first championship since 2008. With largely the identical roster set to return subsequent season, the Celtics are closely favored to win it once more in 2025 and there are few groups who may even hope to problem them.
In line with Pierce, a kind of groups is the Orlando Magic. After years of struggles, they struck gold within the draft over the previous few years and have managed to construct a aggressive younger workforce that features gifted athletes like Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., and Jalen Suggs.
Final season, the Magic completed fifth within the East with a 47-35 document. It was their finest marketing campaign in years and so they had been in a position to make the playoffs for a first-round matchup in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Regardless of their lack of expertise, the Magic practically received the collection and took the Cavaliers to seven video games earlier than being eradicated.
Through the season, the Magic gave the Celtics severe issues, and their mixture of measurement, expertise, and depth might need actually challenged them throughout a 7-game collection. Alas, it simply wasn’t meant to be and the Magic should wait till subsequent season for an additional probability.
With the addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer season, the Magic had been in a position so as to add expertise and perimeter shooter to the backcourt, two areas of nice want for the group. In addition they signed ahead Tristan Da Silva to a rookie contract.
In fact, the most important x-factor for the Magic is Paolo Banchero. He broke out right into a star final season with averages of twenty-two.6 factors, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per recreation on 45% taking pictures. It was his first of many All-Star campaigns.
If Banchero can proceed his rise and take his recreation to a different degree, it can make the Magic extra harmful than ever and would possibly put them able to threaten the Celtics as champions of the East. However with such a protracted and intensive historical past of failure, there are nonetheless main doubts that the Orlando Magic can really pose an actual menace within the title race.
Solely time will inform how they stack up, however the Magic are actually in a greater place now than they have been for many of their latest franchise historical past.
