Orlando Magic finding some better balance offensively

The Orlando Magic have been one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA. In the last two weeks, things have turned around as the team appears to be gelling.

The Orlando Magic’s offense had been stuck in neutral. Neutral might be kind. It was really stuck in reverse.

The Magic ranked last, or nearly last, in almost every offensive category. The ball stagnated as teams learned how to blow up and disrupt the Magic’s plays. Orlando was still finding its rhythm, all the while struggling to do one of the most basic things in basketball.

There were stray games where the offense clicked, but nothing that ever sustained itself. The Magic went from scoring 119 points in a Sunday win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to scoring 69 in a loss to the Indiana Pacers the next day.

Frank Vogel changed his initial starting lineup searching for defense. Then changed his lineup again seeking some offense. Adding D.J. Augustin, Aaron Gordon and Bismack Biyombo into the starting lineup has not exactly given the Magic better offense (the group has a 101.3 offensive rating, better than the Magic’s overall average. . . just do not look at the defense).

While the team carved out a defensive identity on the road trip to win four of the five games, Orlando came home with something entirely different.

Ever since scoring 124 points against the Washington Wizards, the Magic’s offense has slowly come alive. Orlando has scored 100 or more points in four of the past six games and has scored 100 points or more in three consecutive games for the first time all season.

The offense has begun to find its rhythm.

“We’re passing the ball better,” Vogel said. “That’s the simplest way to put it. A few of those games Jodie Meeks gave us a good lift. Guys are returning to form. There were several guys who were starting the season struggling shooting the basketball worse than their career averages or last year’s averages that are coming back to the norm.”

It is true, the Magic and many of their players were shooting abnormally low field goal percentages. Both Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic, two of the Magic’s main offensive weapons, have started to progress to their mean.

Since the Washington Wizards game, the Magic have an 110.4 offensive rating, the seventh best in the league in that time.

It is no wonder the team’s effective field goal percentage is at 53.8 percent in the last two weeks (up from 48.4 percent, near the bottom of the league). The team’s offensive rating is still a lowly 99.9, but the team is no longer dead last in many offensive categories.

The team has a 65.0 percent assist rate, noting a key to the Magic’s offensive success. When Orlando is able to move the ball and generate assists, they can be an extremely effective and dangerous offense.

“The good teams make the extra pass,” Jodie Meeks said. “We’ve been paying attention to that. Hopefully, we can continue. Our guys are being more aware of the open man. I don’t think anyone does it intentionally. Just being more aware and guys are knocking down open shots.”

It all suggests the Magic are turning a corner offensively. There are a few reasons.

Perhaps some added confidence — and the addition of Meeks, the team has posted a team-best 117.0 offensive rating with him on the floor — has helped the team get out of its early season shooting slumps. Things just appear to be clicking and the ball is moving significantly better — the Magic are up from a 58.3 percent assist rate before the Wizards game.

Ball movement has played a key role. So too has, perhaps, having to go small with Nikola Vucevic’s absence.

Without all of the Magic’s bigs, they have had to use lineups with Serge Ibaka at the center more. Since Dec. 6, the Magic have posted a 126.8 offensive rating in 36 minutes (71 possessions) with Serge Ibaka on the floor without one of the Magic’s other main centers, according to NBAWowy.

Going to that lineup has increased the team’s spacing and given more driving lanes for players like Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier to attack. It has freed up plenty of offense for the team.

Yet, despite this, the Magic have still struggled overall.

The team has only two wins in that stretch. The defense has been in shambles — giving up 118 points per 100 possessions. The Magic know defense has to remain their bedrock. And they are struggling to find it.

“We have to find the right balance between having a good offense and being very aggressive defensively,” Fournier said. “Playing defense takes a lot of energy. Sometimes on the offensive end, you can be short on your shots. We shouldn’t think about it. We should think about defense first, getting stops and getting easy buckets. If we want to be good, it has to start defensively.”

Fournier said he felt the team’s pace was better, but he would still rather the team play good defense than try to outscore teams offensively as they have been doing. That was a sentiment shared throughout the Magic roster.

While the defense remains a concern and a primary focus, Orlando’s offense is encouraging.

The Magic have torn apart some strong defenses. They have recorded 25 or more assists in the last three games, including 30 against the Atlanta Hawks, who have the sixth-best defense by defensive rating in the league, and 29 assists against the fourth-ranked defense from the L.A. Clippers.

“We’re showing what we can do on the offensive end when we trust the pass,” Vogel said. “We have shown what we can do on the defensive end from what we did earlier in the season. I’m really encouraged about who we can be as a basketball team going forward. We knew it was going to take time to gel. We have the ability on both ends to be great. We just have to put it all together.”

When the Magic get their defense back under control, it would seem this team could take a big leap forward with this kind of offense.

Things are slowly showing signs they can come together.

Next: Jodie Meeks has had a positive effect on the Orlando Magic

“We’re just moving the ball,” Aaron Gordon said. “We’re making the right play consistently. A little bit of the chemistry took us some time to get there. I think we’re finding it now.”