5 Players Orlando Needs To Succeed

The Orlando Magic went 20-62 last year, but they’re a very young team, so the future is rather bright for the Magic. Nikola Vucevic averaged a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds per game, but expect that to go up this season as he makes this Magic team his. The abundance of youth is exciting. Maurice Harkless, Tobias Harris (who was team’s leading scorer once getting traded to Orlando), Andrew Nicholson and the newly-drafted Victor Oladipo all have bright futures for the Magic.

This team isn’t just filled with young players, though. There are proven players on this team as well. Arron Afflalo, Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who is returning for injury, are all talented individuals. Turkoglu may end up being the odd man out of the rotation due to better players at his position, but expect him to get some playing time regardless.

Orlando has a very nice mixture of youth and veteran leadership. If the young guys continue developing and the veterans help the Magic out however they can, whether that’s continuing to produce or stepping out of the spotlight so the young up-and-comer can step into it, the Magic can and will improve mightily this season and seasons to come.

The only way improvement can start or continue once started is if players step up and do exactly what they need to do on the court for the team. Specifically, these five players stepping up this season for the Magic will go a long way in making Orlando a formidable competitor for years to come.

Arron Afflalo

With Victor Oladipo breathing down his neck for the starting job, Afflalo is going to have to continue his good play he had last year or even up it a bit this year in order to help the Magic, and to keep Oladipo on the bench for now.

Tobias Harris

Tobias was the leading scorer for the Magic post trade last season. He has the ability to play both forward positions and will be an important part of the rotation early on in the year. He doesn't have to mirror exactly what he did last year for this team, but he still has to be good in order to help Orlando.

Maurice Harkless

Another year of experience is nothing but a good thing for Harkless. If his game is improved even a little bit, he'll be a big help to the Magic this year.

Victor Oladipo

He may not be the starter right away, but even coming off of the bench as a rookie, Oladipo is a huge part of Orlando's future plans and he'll be good enough to help the Magic from day one.

Nikola Vucevic

He may not be Dwight Howard, but he has the ability to do great things for Orlando. He can start helping the Magic by upping his scoring and being an anchor on the defensive side of things.