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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Midpoint review

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jan 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov (20) defends a shot by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov (20) defends a shot by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Jan 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov (20) defends a shot by Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

The Orlando Magic have reached the midpoint of their season. It has been a strange 41 games. The OMD staff looks back at the surprises and disappointments.

The midpoint of the season has arrived. Believe it or not, the team passed game 41 with the Orlando Magic’s 115-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. The run to the Playoffs is officially underway.

Heading into Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the Magic are 17-24 and 3.5 games out of the final Playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Getting to the Playoffs is not impossible, but it will take a massive win streak. The Washington Wizards currently sit in eighth place with a .500 record.

It would seem 41 wins would have to be the goal for the Magic to make the Playoffs — at a minimum. And that is a long road to go for a team that has been as inconsistent as this team has been.

The Magic entered the season preaching defense. Their offseason acquisitions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo suggested they would be dominant defensively and start a block party. Really only one game this season has seen that kind of defensive mastery.

And, except for a two- or three-week stretch in November and early December, the team’s defense has been a massive disappointment. The offense, as expected, has struggled.

At the midpoint of the season, the Magic are 27th in the league in offensive rating, scoring 100.8 points per 100 possessions. They are, more disappointingly, 16th in the league in defensive rating, giving up 105.7 points per 100 possessions.

The team knew a league-average defense was not going to get the job done and help Orlando achieve its goals.

Inconsistency was the mark for the first half to the season. The Magic never seemed able to keep an identity or build any momentum from one game to the next. Bad weeks would follow good weeks and good games would follow bad games. That was about all the Magic could count on.

There have been some landmark wins that make everyone believe this team has Playoff talent and potential. There have also been some devastating losses — losses that are too tough to ignore.

The second half of the season will require change for the Magic to become successful. But before we dive deep into the final 41 games this season, we take a look back at the first half of the season.

We gathered the Orlando Magic Daily staff to discuss what went well and what did not in the first half of the season. And where the Magic need to go next.