Orlando Magic build the fun with ‘hustle stats,’ deflections

The Orlando Magic, for the first time in a long time, seemed to have fun on the floor. They did that with their defensive work in a romp over Atlanta.

The Orlando Magic’s defense is not perfect yet. The Atlanta Hawks were still finding ways to break the first level of the defense and get into the paint. This is what puts stress on a defense and causes it to break down, entering scramble mode.

And Nikola Vucevic was there as the backstop.

That has typically been a worry for the Magic. His defensive reputation was not exactly sterling entering the season. He has been better this year for sure, but Vucevic is still not the top defender in the league. And he lost his backstop in shot blocker Serge Ibaka.

But the Magic were playing with a renewed energy. They were playing like a different team.

As that guard approached Nikola Vucevic, his hands raised upward to deter anything coming near the basket, the guards collapsed around him. The pressure was growing. And as the guard tried to lob it to Dwight Howard, Vucevic was in perfect position. The ball deflected off his hands and toward Terrence Ross or Elfrid Payton or Aaron Gordon.

And the break was on. And it would be on again and again in an 105-86 victory over the Hawks on Saturday at Amway Center.

The Magic, largely anemic defensively for much of the season, had suddenly come alive using their defense to generate offense and become the team everyone seemed to think they always could be.

“We were flying around on the defensive end,” Elfrid Payton said. “I think we had two good games, despite not closing out against Portland. We’re getting a lot of deflections and it is helping out getting out in transition.”

The Magic have indeed seen an uptick in those hustle plays.

Orlando Magic

According to NBA.com, the Magic averaged 13.8 deflections per game, the fifth-worst in the league. Deflections are not a be-all, end-all for defensive activity, but they are a sign of a team disrupting the other team’s offense and making it harder for them to operate. There is a reason coaches have kept track of this metric independently for a long time.

In the two games since the All-Star Break, the Magic have recorded 19.0 deflections per game. That included 19 deflections in Saturday’s game against the Hawks.

Take those 19 deflections and 11 steals, along with giving up 38.1 percent from the floor and an 84.8 defensive rating, and that is how a team creates 27 fast-break points and dominates the game for a comfortable 19-point win.

Payton said the team is faster and quicker than their opponents since that point. It is something coach Frank Vogel has brought up with the increased activity. Orlando is faster partly because they are playing smaller. Vogel noted after the Portland Trail Blazers game that Orlando’s small lineup was able to play more energetically and it helped the team build a lead.

It is just two games, but the Magic are playing with renewed energy on the defensive end and the results are fairly clear.

“When you play small ball like that, you are faster defensively, you get more steals,” Evan Fournier said. “And it’s a good opportunity to run and get easy buckets. It was fun to watch tonight.”

“Fun” was a word both Evan Fournier and Elfrid Payton used. Winning helps a ton but the Magic were playing a more energetic, up-tempo style.

When Vogel took over he envisioned a team that was stifling defensively and used that defense to create fast-break opportunities. This was finally that team.

Terrence Ross, the newcomer to this team, said the Magic have a ton of plus defenders. Payton, especially he said, is good at using his hands to create steals and is good on the ball. That has not always shown through.

But with the Magic swarming and corraling players, crowding them into pressured plays, the Magic finally had their defensive formula down.

The review after two games — despite the loss Thursday — is this is an entirely different team that uses its athleticism and speed defensively to disrupt opponents and beats them in transition.

“Defensively, we’re really fast,” Aaron Gordon said. “We get to our spots when we need to get there. Everyone seems to be tuned in. It’s just fun when you play like that. You can get on the break and everyone is running and filling in the lanes. Everyone knows we have two guys in the corner and one guy filling the lane. There are just a lot of weapons out there when we get running.”

Plays with deflections are huge for this team. They obviously can be a catalyst for easy offense and the energy plays the Magic need to get out of a rut.

Orlando took an early nine-point lead in the first quarter, only to see the lead swing the other way in the second quarter. It seemed like the Magic might falter again.

But they took that punch and kept coming at the Hawks. They made their own success on the defensive end, rotating well to cover for each other. Orlando was on the same page and frustrated the Hawks.

Next: Grades: Orlando Magic 105, Atlanta Hawks 86

At the very least, the Magic had fun again and played basketball in a way that would certainly delight fans once again.