The Orlando Magic are building. After winning just 21 and then 22 games in the previous two seasons, they jumped up to 34 in 2022-23, and the list of young talent they've steadily compiled is actually beginning to look pretty imposing. They'll be looking to continue their improvement this season, and these are three burning questions that they need to answer along the way.

3. What to do with all those guards?

The Magic don't exactly have any superstars in the back court, but what they do have is a whole lot of guards deserving of minutes in the NBA. Markelle Fultz had his best season in the NBA in 2022-23 as their lead point guard, while Gary Harris was Steve Clifford's preferred option at the two when he was available. That left former lottery picks Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs competing for minutes off the bench, but not content with four capable guards, they went and added another in Anthony Black with their sixth pick in the 2023 draft.

That's too many, particularly given that most of them are young, have some potential and will be desperate to clock as many minutes on an NBA floor as possible. Choice is never a bad thing, but the Magic almost have too much of it in the back court. Cole Anthony's name has been thrown up in trade rumors as a result of the logjam, and if he goes it will open things up a bit more for Suggs and Black.

2. How good can the Franz Wagner/Paolo Banchero wing combo be?

The Magic potentially have something pretty special brewing with their wing combination. Since being drafted with the eighth pick in 2021, Franz Wagner has shown his unique set of skills as a ball-handling big man capable of doing, well, most things on the floor. Then they went and picked up Paolo Banchero with the first pick in the 2022 draft, and he promptly won the Rookie of the Year Award with a terrific first season which saw him average 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Already they've proven themselves to be a dangerous duo, and they've only played three seasons between them. That's exciting for Magic fans. It's this duo which is most capable of raising the ceiling for the Magic, and if they each take another step forward in the upcoming season then it will not only make Orlando a better team, but could help to swing the answer to the final question to the affirmative.

1. Is this team ready to make a return to the playoffs?

The pieces are there. The aforementioned wing combination of Banchero and Wagner is oozing with potential, they've got a solid albeit unspectacular group of guards at their disposal, and a reliable center in Wendell Carter Jr to boot. Last year they showed plenty of improvement, and given how young their lineup is there should be every expectation that will continue in 2023-24.

But are they yet ready to take the Magic to the postseason? Fast forward all these players into the peaks of their career, and you'd likely have a pretty damn good team – who knows, maybe even one competing at the pointy end of the postseason. But as it stands, are they ready? Banchero is 20, Franz Wagner 22, Carter Jr 24 and Fultz 25. The future is exciting for the Orlando Magic, but the main question they need to answer heading into the upcoming season is whether this talented young roster is ready to take the next step.