The Orlando Magic may have been the surprise team of the 2018-19 season. Just one year after going 25-57 and firing former head coach Frank Vogel, the Magic went 42-40 and made the playoffs under new coach Steve Clifford.

Despite not having a true “star” player, at least prior to the season, the Magic watched as Nikola Vucevic blossomed into one of the best centers in basketball, while players like Terrence Ross had the best season of their careers.

Speaking at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Clifford said that both Vucevic and Ross are only beginning to realize the kind of star potential that they possess, and that he expects both players to improve next season.

Both Vucevic and Ross were unrestricted free agents heading into this summer, but the Magic acted quickly in bringing both players back into the fold.

Ross spent four-plus seasons in Toronto before being traded to the Magic as part of the Serge Ibaka trade in February of 2017. After an extremely disappointing and injury-riddled 2017-18 campaign in which he played in just 24 games, Ross averaged career highs in points (15.1) and rebounds per game (3.5) while shooting over 38 percent from deep.

Meanwhile, Vucevic was named to his first All-Star team and finished 10th in the NBA with 10.1 win shares. He posted career highs in points (20.8), rebounds (12.0) and assists (3.8)while shooting close to 52 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc.

If the Magic hope to take the next step in their collective development, they need both Ross and Vucevic to build on their impressive campaigns from this past season.