Finding joy in a bad team like the Orlando Magic: Part I

Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty ImagesEach month around this time I check in on the state of the Magic, aiming to locate pulses of recent positivity alongside any worrisome trends that appear to be forming. The ups and downs, the sweet and sour, the good and bad; what are Orlando’s most ardent supporters noticing right now?

Today? Well, that exercise seems a little less necessary. The Magic are a bad basketball team. In embarking on the latest rebuild the front office largely stripped the side of its meaningful veterans (whether via trade or cautionary rest), handing navigation duties to the youth that remained. It was an opportunity to both get a better read on who figures to be…