National Basketball Association

Have the Orlando Magic finally found an identity?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Orlando Magic are currently in a playoff drought that is only matched in their history by their first years as an expansion team. The Magic received a bounty of assets when they unloaded Dwight Howard, yet despite “winning the deal” on paper it has yet to result in a postseason trip. In the last year, promising young players Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris were dealt away along with a lottery pick in what equates to a continuing of a “win now” philosophy.

Defenders of the front office will point out that the Harris and Oladipo trades served a dual purpose. On the one hand, they acquired a cornerstone rim protector in Serge Ibaka. On the other, they thinned out the rotation to allow the focused development of new promising young players, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja. But will the cycle of having “promising young players” keep going with a win total stuck in the 30s? Or will the arrival of Ibaka, head coach Frank Vogel and free agent big man Bismack Biyombo signal the start of a new identity in Orlando? An identity built in the mode of Vogel’s tough Pacers or the Grit ‘n’ Grind Grizzlies, where stingy, bullying defense is the recipe for victory and offense is a nightly struggle?

Philip Rossman-Reich (@OMagicDaily) of Orlando Magic Daily and Locked On Magic has his own ideas on the direction of the team. He joins Fastbreak Breakfast to both defend and criticize the various moves the Magic have made as they look to claw their way into the playoffs. Will the young core mesh with the veteran free agents? Can Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier deliver enough offense? Is Nikola Vučević the long-term answer? Is Aaron Gordon a 3? And why is Jeff Green on this team?

If you have missed them, there are previous Fastbreak Breakfast off-season podcasts focusing on the Lakers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Pacers,Bucks, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, Knicks, Kings, Pelicans, plus player interviews with Wade Baldwin IV and Brandan Wright. Also, gambling. Fastbreak Breakfast episodes are also available on iTunes, Stitcher and Soundcloud.