Orlando Magic using Serge Ibaka to solve 3-point problem

The Orlando Magic lost three of their top 3-point shooters to injury recently. They have had to shuffle roles and use Serge Ibaka more as a shooter.

The Orlando Magic’s season seemed to go from bad to worse two weeks ago when Jodie Meeks dislocated his thumb. The team’s only 40-percent 3-point shooter would be on the shelf until at least the All-Star Break.

Add on the injury to Evan Fournier and then another injury to D.J. Augustin, and things were looking bad for the Magic at the time. Three of the Magic’s top five 3-point shooters by 3-point field goal percentage were out. And this was a problem for a team that is 28th in 3-point field goal percentage.

The Magic were desperate for a few weeks to get some 3-point shooting and spread the floor. As every player had to pull more weight, some players had to see their role change some to try to resolve this issue.

It is hard to say any of it was a success. Since Evan Fournier went out with the heel injury, the Magic are 2-6, including Sunday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. And since that time the Magic are shooting 33.2 percent from beyond the arc, 26th in the league since that date. Orlando shoots 33.7 percent for the year.

Orlando has not shot that much worse from beyond the arc even as the team’s distribution of shots has changed. The team averages 26.3 3-pointers per game for the season and 27.1 3-pointers per game since Fournier’s injury.

And many of those 3-point shots now have fallen to Serge Ibaka. Before the team left for the road trip, Ibaka explained the Magic were asking him to take more 3-pointers.

“Coach wants me to shoot more 3s now,” Ibaka said. “He knows better. If he asks maybe that is what he needs, that is what he thinks the team needs. I’m not going to set up shooting 3s all night. That’s something I don’t want to do. I’m going to shoot when it’s an open shot or when it gives my teammates the space to go. If the help comes, I’m going to shoot. That’s not something I want to force. Sometimes I want to go into the post, offensive rebounds, pick and rolls and dunks, that’s going to help too.”

Certainly, the Magic should not be using Ibaka as solely a spot-up shooter. That would be counter-productive. But Ibaka is one of the best 3-point shooters on the team. For the season, he is shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc (second on the team) and 3.8 3-point attempts per game (third on the team).

Orlando has used Ibaka plenty from beyond the arc. Both those figures are career highs, partially a product of the Magic using Ibaka more.

Since Fournier went out, Ibaka has seen his 3-point attempts per game shoot up to 4.4 per game, while he makes 37.1 percent. That would be 44.4 percent of his field goal attempts in that time.

He may not like the fact he is taking more 3-pointers — or nearly exclusively 3-pointers — but he has still been relatively effective in that role. Then again, the Magic have not been effective there either.

The Magic are still fighting to find a balance on how to use Ibaka. His play in the pick and roll game has been solid, as expected. It has helped him get a lot of those 3-pointers. And Ibaka has a 0.99 points per possession as the roll man in pick and rolls, placing about at the league average.

Adding some fuel to his 3-point shooting acumen, Ibaka scores 1.10 points per possession in spot-up situations, placing him in the 75th percentile in the league.

It would seem Ibaka is not thrilled at hanging around the perimeter too much despite his effectiveness as a spot-up shooter — both from beyond the arc and from mid-range. Orlando still has to try to keep him happy with a few post ups — he posts 0.86 points per possession on posts ups, slightly below the league average according to NBA.com.

“I’m not going to just set up on 3s all night,” Ibaka said. “When I’m hot, I’m going to try. But I always want to try to have balance. I just have to be ready.”

Ibaka’s role may become much more regular now, though.

D.J. Augustin returned to the lineup and began relieving some of that 3-point shooting pressure. Ibaka’s 3-point shooting distribution and in-paint distribution should return to his normal.

Fournier returned to practice Saturday and there is the possibility he could play Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It seems like the team is slowly returning to some normalcy.

Ibaka is still second on the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game and is as likely to have a big game as anyone on the roster. There have been games where Ibaka is called upon to carry the scoring load. And there are games where Ibaka plays a secondary role.

That has been part of the inconsistency with Ibaka throughout the season for him and the Magic. Roles often shift with the opponent. What Ibaka is asked or needed for one game he is not asked or needed for another.

At least, offensively.

Ibaka is also in Orlando for his defensive acumen. And that issue is for another post.

It is clear that while the Magic were searching for 3-point shooting, they used Ibaka to help fill that void. It may have limited some of his effectiveness — Ibaka averaged just 11.8 points per game with the increased 3-point shooting. And it might explain why Damjan Rudez started getting some limited playing time in recent games.

Next: Nikola Vucevic helps Orlando Magic find their way

Getting Ibaka back into that more balanced successful role he can have when Evan Fournier or D.J. Augustin are back in the lineup will be a benefit to him and, ultimately, to the team.