Young Guns Entering The Playoffs: Orlando Magic & Oklahoma City Thunder
Hoops writer Nick Andre takes a look at the transformation into legitimate playoff contenders for the Orlando Magic and the OKC Thunder.
Springtime is always the best for basketball fans. The weather warms up so that means hoopers can play out at the park or in their driveway. But also there are high-level hoops from College to the NBA. The NCAA Tournament has wrapped up where we saw UConn and South Carolina cut the nets as National Champions. With that being said, April means it’s time to gear up for the NBA Playoffs.
The 2023–24 NBA season has been nothing short of spectacular. There’s the week where we had two 70+ point performances from Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic. There have also been surprising teams who have taken the league by storm.
The emerging youth of the NBA shows that the league is heading in a new direction. Over the last decade, we witnessed legends like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and others deliver playoff moments that crowned them as champions. Years later, we witnessed Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic do the same thing. This season, there are a few teams who are ready to create a name for themselves in the Postseason.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic have struggled to find the glory days since Dwight Howard’s departure in 2012. Since then, the team has made the playoffs twice and featured great talents in Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and others. However, the 2023–24 season has delivered a feeling of success and optimism heading into this year’s postseason.
The shift began during the 2022 NBA Draft. The Magic had a tough decision to make as they had the #1 overall pick. Would they draft Paolo Banchero out of Duke University or pick up seven-foot sensation Chet Holmgren from Gonzaga? Orlando chose to stay loyal to Blue Bloods as they drafted Banchero. Looking back, it became the best decision for the franchise. Holmgren missed his entire rookie season sidelined with an injury while Banchero ran away as the rookie favorite.
While drafting Banchero, the Magic had a plan in set. They surrounded their future All-Star with several key attributes to help him succeed. Banchero also has a partner-in-crime named Franz Wagner, who has also emerged as an elite wing scorer. Alongside the dynamic duo of Banchero and Wagner, the Magic also includes Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr, Markelle Fultz, and others.
Fans expected the Magic to become a playoff team in the next few years. However, they caught the NBA by surprise with their fantastic 2023–24 campaign. The Magic are currently 12 games over .500 and are one of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference. As the season is coming to an end, the question is how deep can they run in the playoffs? They have the personnel and the talent to do so. The only thing that may hold Orlando back is experience.
This year’s postseason will only be the beginning of a new era in Orlando. Depending on how far they advance, they’ll use their experience and carry it over moving forward. The playoffs are where a team/player can find themselves. This will be a great opportunity for Orlando to figure themselves out as a team and find a way to keep improving and moving forward.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season was huge for Oklahoma City. No, they didn’t make the playoffs but the team was heading in the right direction. Their season was so interesting it made me question if this team could be contenders now or in the next few years. It’s safe to say that they hit the ground running at the start of the 2023–24 season and never looked back.
The emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been wonderful to watch. This is a player who is always poised and confident in his game. Gilgeous-Alexander plays in control and has embraced being the franchise player for the Thunder. He continues to blossom as an MVP candidate and as one of the best scorers in the NBA.
Another emerging talent has been Jalen Williams. If you ask me, he has embraced being the third option next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. Williams is a player one can rely upon to make a big play. He can play efficiently on the offensive end as well as make defensive stops. Without Williams’ emergence, it’s hard to see the Thunder as one of the top contenders in the Western Conference.
Other key contributors for the Thunder have been Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, and several others. The beauty of this team has been head coach Mike Daigneault understands the value of his team and maximizes their game plan for success. The Thunder feature young hungry players who are determined for success, which has shown through the course of this season.
The Thunder’s last playoff appearance was in 2020. Last season, the team was one win away from the postseason before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In Tournament. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already has playoff experience as he was in the middle of a seven-game battle in the NBA Bubble. Now, he must carry that experience into this season to lead his inexperienced teammates. Can the Thunder win the West? Can they prevail against Minnesota, Denver, LA Clippers, etc? Those questions will have answers once the playoffs begin.
