OKC Thunder: National and TI editor power rankings week 8 – hot takes in top tier

This Magic squad vacillates between being an NBA League Pass favorite and one which plays down to their youth. Of their 26 games, eight have been decided by five points in which their record is 5-3, plus an overtime loss.

The frontcourt is jammed with Nikola Vucevic putting up career best performances, Johnathan Issac showing glimpses of why so many teams tried to trade up to acquire him, Mohamed Bamba showcasing his potential and Aaron Gordon displaying his wide array of talents.

Both Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier can get hot on any given night with the former posting double-digit scoring in eight consecutive games. Moreover, Ross has been on fire from deep dipping below 50 percent in only two of those eight games.

The problem is this squad is utilizing D.J. Augustin (with no offense) a quality backup point guard as their starter.

In spite of the Magic clinging to the final seed in the East, it’s more likely they rejoin the lottery bound crew. Until then, I’ll keep them tagged on my LP for “one of those” nights.

Orlando Magic:

Offensive Rating: 25th
Defensive Rating: 17th
Net Differential: 23rd

Points per game: 105.7 (26th)
Offensive field goal efficiency: 45.3 percent (tied 19th)
Opponent points per game: 108.2 (8th)
Opponent field goal efficiency: 46.3 percent (18th)

Record:  eighth in EC
Home: 6-8
Road:  6-6
Back to back sets: 6

Versus the East: 8-7
Versus the West: 4-7

Week eight 1-2: beat @ Heat, lost to Nuggets, Pacers
On tap for week 9: @Mavericks, Bulls, Jazz