Magic, Heat sport different looks to open season
Everything changed for the Orlando Magic on draft night in 2016.
It was then the franchise shifted its direction, moving away from the methodical draft-based rebuild and into a win-now mode.
The team traded away former second overall pick Victor Oladipo for Serge Ibaka. They continued their remodeling with a massive free agent spending spree that included signing in another rim-protecting center in Bismack Biyombo. All this with a new coach in Frank Vogel, hired after Scott Skiles' sudden resignation.
The Magic team that takes the Amway Center court Wednesday in the season opener against the visiting Miami Heat is going to be hardly recognizable to the team that finished in April. Orlando has seven new players and heightened expectations after a four-year playoff drought.
"Everybody is ready," Magic forward Aaron Gordon said. "Offseason is great, but this is what we live for. This is what we live to do. It's so much fun. We know we can do something special and we are looking to seize that opportunity."
The Magic remain one of the league's biggest mysteries entering the season, but things have changed drastically in Miami too.
The Heat's championship dynasty is completely gone. Dwyane Wade surprisingly left for the Chicago Bulls after 13 years in Miami. LeBron James left two seasons ago for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And the Heat have not cleared Chris Bosh to play after continuing heart problems keep him on the sideline.
Miami must rely on a multi-faceted versatile offensive attack and balanced scoring to succeed.
"A big strength of our roster is versatility, depth," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "And that we have multiple guys that can have nights, where it's not one or two guys dominant. And that's a strength."
It is certainly a different situation for Miami, which does not have the superstar players or the sure path to the postseason. They are relying more heavily on young players -- including Hassan Whiteside, whom the Heat signed to a fresh four-year, $98.4 million deal.
The Heat have always been good about mining role players and will need their support more than ever to defy the odds and reach the playoffs. But they still have the steady hand of veteran point guard Goran Dragic running with Whiteside to help fill that void.
As the teams battle changes and adjustments to new rosters and new teammates, the Magic and the Heat will be trying to feel comfortable in their new skins.
"It's going to be an 82-game process," Magic coach Frank Vogel said. "Ideally, you hit the ground running. But you don't want to overreact if you don't. If things aren't working early, you're really just learning about your team. You are able to make adjustments either by improving what you're doing or changing what you're doing."