If there’s one thing Jeff Weltman learned from the 2020-21 NBA season, it’s that he’s more excited than ever about the future of the Orlando Magic.
In fact, he’s downright bullish.
“I can say that in my time here, I’ve never been more excited about the prospects for our team,” Weltman said during an end-of-the season media Zoom session on Wednesday.
Weltman will be entering his fifth offseason as president of basketball operations amid an organizational shift toward another rebuild. That certainly wasn’t the intent when the season began. The Magic were coming off their second straight playoff appearance and but as injuries piled up and trade opportunities emerged, Weltman and the front office decided to make a U-turn. Orlando swapped veterans and franchise mainstays Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon for future picks, young players with upside and salary-cap flexibility.
“I’m not sure there’s kind of a formula for interpreting a season like this because I don’t think it’s ever happened before. Obviously, you have the COVID protocols and everything that the whole league was struggling with, and then you have our particular set of circumstances where we were littered with injuries and made a series of significant trades at the deadline.”
Is Weltman’s excitement level justified?
Chuma Okeke, Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton gained significant NBA experience and made strides in their rookie seasons. They are part of a group of players 24 or younger that also includes Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. — all of whom were top-seven picks.
And speaking of the draft, the Magic could add more impact players with two top-10 picks potentially awaiting them.
Houston, Detroit and Orlando — the top three teams in the reverse standings — each will have a 14.0% chance of getting the No. 1 pick, a 13.4% chance for No. 2, a 12.7% chance for No. 3 and an 11.9% chance for No. 4. The Magic have a 52.1% chance to earn a top-four pick.
In addition, the Magic will get the Bulls’ first-round pick as long as it falls outside the top four. Chicago is in a three-way tie for eighth with New Orleans and Sacramento, and those teams will have a 4.5% chance at the No. 1 pick, a 4.8% chance at No. 2, a 5.2% chance at No. 3 and a 5.7% chance at No. 4.
“I don’t apply timelines,” Weltman said of his team’s roster. “I don’t know what one person’s development is going to look like juxtaposed next to another, but I just believe that we have a lot of talent on this team, and a lot of character and a lot of guys that want to win and we have a lot of ways to add more of those guys.”
The Magic went 6-22 after the trade deadline, a record that was affected by injuries to veterans Michael Carter-Williams, James Ennis, Otto Porter Jr. and Terrence Ross. But Weltman points to the first road trip when the new roster was together as a sign.
The Magic took the Lakers to the wire before losing by three, then beat the Clippers and the Pelicans for back-to-back wins. Granted, the Magic didn’t face the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram in those games, but Weltman liked how the team played together and called the road trip encouraging.
“There was a fit. There was a kind of, I think, a role orientation that kind of just maybe peeked out a little bit, and that kind of like gave us a little hope,” Weltman said.
Weltman and his staff conducted exit interviews Tuesday and got a chance to get the players’ perspective on the direction of the team. He said the prevailing sentiment is optimism, and that players are eager to begin their offseason work together.
Weltman also praised coach Steve Clifford and his staff for their efforts during a season that brought unprecedented challenges. Weltman said the season was difficult enough with the injuries, COVID-19 protocols and the condensed schedule. Then came the roster moves in the middle of the season and the team had to readjust its path. Weltman said adapting to those changes was not easy.
“What can I say? They’ve done an amazing job,” Weltman said.
