Magic 2016-17 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

Sure, a 35-win 2015-16 season isn't much to get excited over, but for the Orlando Magic, it's a vast improvement after winning 25, 23 and 20 games in their three previous campaigns.

But there will be a new man at the helm in Orlando, as former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel takes over for Scott Skiles, who stepped down shortly after the Magic's 2015-16 season ended. It will now be up to Vogel to resume the team's quest for relevance in the Eastern Conference. 

With the league releasing its schedule on Thursday, here is some important information for Magic fans to watch for. 

2016-17 Details

Season Opener: Wednesday, Oct. 26 vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: 100-1 (via Odds Shark)

Full Schedule: NBA.com 

Top Matchups

Miami Heat

Season Opener: Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Amway Center, 7 p.m. ET

First games don't necessarily mean much to teams that will be on the fringe of contention for a playoff spot. But after the departure of Skiles, it's imperative that Vogel gets the Magic off on the right foot. 

Skiles was a charter member of the Magic as a point guard who spent five seasons with the team, which made his sudden resignation after only one year such a difficult moment for Orlando fans, per Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel:

"

This was one of the darkest days in Magic history; not nearly as significant as Shaq and Dwight [Howard] leaving, but much more shocking. You see, this wasn't just any coach who quit on the franchise after just one season; this was Scotty Skiles — one of the most beloved former players in franchise history.

"

Vogel might have 10 fewer years of head coaching experience compared to Skiles, but he put together winning seasons with the Pacers in four of the past five campaigns, though it wasn't enough to save his job there. 

With the talent on his roster, that might not be as easy to replicate, at least in his first year with the Magic. But Vogel has shown a winning pedigree, something the Magic can't say they've had over the past four years.

In this opening contest against Miami, Vogel will have an opportunity to try and help Magic fans forget about Skiles' exit and start 2016-17 off with a win. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

First Matchup: Sunday, Nov. 13 at Chesapeake Energy Arena, 7 p.m. ET

The changes haven't only come on the bench for the Magic. During the draft in June, Orlando packaged 2013 No. 2 pick Victor Oladipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova and their 2016 No. 11 pick, Domantas Sabonis, to the Oklahoma City Thunder for veteran power forward Serge Ibaka. 

Ibaka spent the first seven years of his career in Oklahoma City, where his physicality and athleticism made him a valuable asset under the basket on both sides of the floor.

He's developed a mid-range game to go with his post play and is going to add some versatility to Orlando's frontcourt, especially on the defensive end. 

This is a three-time NBA All-Defensive Team member who will join a Magic team that allowed 103.7 points per game last year.

He'll be taking on his former team on Nov. 13, an Oklahoma City squad that will look incredibly different without Kevin Durant. As a result of KD's decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors this offseason, the Thunder have gone from Western Conference powerhouse to a team not nearly as threatening as a season ago—even if OKC re-signed guard Russell Westbrook for three years.

The Thunder will try to replace Durant's offense with Westbrook and Oladipo, but this contest will give the two teams an opportunity to take a look at which roster benefited the most from that June deal.

Record Prediction

Taking an early look at Orlando's roster, the frontcourt—featuring Ibaka, the athletic Aaron Gordon and center Nikola Vucevic—looks to be in the best shape. 

Vucevic led the Magic last year with 18.2 points per game, while Gordon will have more freedom to roam near the basket with Ibaka's presence. Those three could be difficult to handle next season. 

On top of that, new signing Bismack Biyombo can provide an enormous defensive presence near the basket to ensure that the frontcourt isn't just all offense.

However, the big men will need to get the ball from the backcourt, and a lot of that pressure will fall on third-year guard Elfrid Payton. 

The 22-year-old has averaged 6.5 assists over his first two seasons in the league, and while that isn't a bad number, the Magic's offense could hit a completely different level if he can increase that amount by two or three. 

One thing that will hold the Magic back is an inability to shoot from distance, as they only shot 35 percent from three last season. 

They didn't do much to improve that, as they will most likely rely on guard Evan Fournier, who shot almost 41 percent from distance in 2015-16, as their main deep threat. If there are nights that Fournier is off, defenses will be able to key in on Orlando's interior offense and create some big scoring problems. 

Record Prediction: 37-45