The Orlando Magic at the midpoint: Reviewing the season so far

The Orlando Magic have had an interesting first half to their season. The team remains inconsistent and searching for an identity as the second half begins.

The Orlando Magic have passed the season’s midpoint following their 115-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

It has certainly been a trying season so far. Or at least a frustrating one.

Now past the midpoint of the season, the Magic are 17-25 and lacking the consistency the team wants to see for a Playoff push. Orlando is not out of the Playoff race, but even as players seem to be aware, there is little room for error. And .500 basketball in the final months of the season will be enough to achieve their goals.

The Magic have been a confusing team to pin down in the first half of the season.

Their defense, which many believed could be one of the best in the league with the talent they had in the post and Aaron Gordon‘s emergence, has struggled and has fallen to about league average. Since Dec. 1, the Magic have had a bottom-10 defense.

That goes with the as-expected struggles on the offensive end.

The team is still trying to figure itself out. Even as Aaron Gordon begins to emerge and Serge Ibaka has gained more comfort in his larger role.

Through three major lineup changes, the Magic have tried to find the right combinations. And nothing seems to have stuck. The Magic have returned to their original starting lineup now. What is old is new again.

Figuring out this team, though, remains a mystery.

It is something I tried to do in my midseason review for Locked on NBA:

The Magic are indeed in that middle gray zone. If the team can put itself together and make a run, they could easily find themselves in the Playoff race. But so far they have not been able to put anything together.

And if they have not done that yet, the question is when?

With the disappointment with the defense, the Magic have failed to form that identity and have left their future in major flux heading toward the trade deadline.

One thing is certain, the Magic have failed to live up to their own expectations. But, to many, the Magic are exactly who they thought they were.

Orlando’s over/under at the beginning of the season did not have the team improving much on the 35-win campaign the team had last year. And comparing to expectations, the defense is the only thing that has not gone as expected.

On the Step Back’s Day-to-Day Podcast, Jason Mann and Kevin Ferrigan of Nothing But Nylon discussed the Magic’s performance compared to expectations:

It seems the national media is focusing still on Gordon playing the 3. So many believe his best role is at the 4. And offensively, that might be true — and probably is.

But he has shown a ton of potential on the perimeter defensively. He is one of the few truly bright spots defensively for the Magic — and probably its only bright spot defensively on the perimeter.

Gordon has become a symbol of the team’s mismatched roster and how the pieces do not fit. Even if it seems there is enough to keep Gordon playing on the perimeter — especially lately.

It is true, though, the Magic’s roster just has not come together. That is perhaps the biggest lesson of the 2017 season so far.

The first half proved what a lot of people suggested in the preseason: This roster just does not work well together.

Next: Bismack Biyombo is the Orlando Magic's biggest disappointment so far

What direction the Magic go at the trade deadline will affect their future, let alone their chase to make the Playoffs. It will give more clues to what the Magic are trying to do as the first half of the season has not given any clarity.