There are many different words that could be used to describe or sum up how the Magic have performed this season. However, one word seems to stand taller than any of the others.
The word may seem obvious. It has been used by many fans and analysts throughout this season. By simply removing just two letters from this word, it would result in a healthy amount of extra wins for the team, which would likely mean that the Magic would be holding onto a top-8 seed in the Eastern Conference right now. Fans would be excited about the future of the team and a much-anticipated return to the playoffs in the spring.
Instead, the word DOES have those two extra letters, and the thought of playoffs will soon be put back on the shelf with the hope of being revisited next year. Because the Magic are in fact…
Inconsistent.
The Orlando Magic were once 6-8 and flirting with a .500 record, which would almost guarantee them a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Although Aaron Gordon had recently been injured, Victor Oladipo was back from injury and showing signs of improvement. Nikola Vucevic was playing solid as well. Things for the moment seemed pretty good compared to recent years. However, a four-game losing streak followed and things did not get much better from there.
Fans were teased with wins against strong teams such as, the Suns, Hawks, Heat, Bulls and Rockets, only to be crushed and brought back down to reality with losses against the Sixers, Hornets, Lakers and Knicks. The Magic just could not stay consistent in play throughout the first half of the season. This inconsistency could be linked to several issues:
- Constant changes in rotations/lineups
- Lack of effort
- Youthful and inexperienced players
Injuries could also be included, but just about every team experiences them and has to make adjustments.
The first issue seems to be a big one and is related to coaching decisions. Many fans are calling for Jacque Vaughn to be fired. His lineups and rotations can often leave fans feeling puzzled. Elfrid Payton was removed from the starting lineup and began to barely see the floor for a period of time earlier in the season as the Magic tried to ease him into the NBA. Although he was not always a threat on offense, he provided a high level of energy and did an admirable job on defense.
During some close games, a player would be doing well on the defensive end and be showing a lot of hustle only to be taken out and never put back in during the clutch moments. Vaughn would instead opt to leave in a player that was not impacting the game as much as the one taken out. Twitter would erupt with “why isn’t Payton or Marble in the game?” It just did not make sense in these situations with the lineups he was choosing.
Good teams have consistency in their rotations and players have a good idea of what to expect each game when it comes to playing time. It was clear Vaughn had not quite gained trust in some of his new players and leaned on veterans who maybe were not performing as well.
The next issue, “lack of effort”, also falls onto Vaughn. There have been several games this season where the team performs horribly in the first half, only to have a huge surge in the second half, then to end up just short of a victory by conclusion.
They also had a series of games where they would fall apart in the third quarter. The team being able to consistently put together full games has been quite the challenge. Vaughn cannot take all of the blame because he is not on the court playing, but he has to know what it takes to get his players motivated to play each and every night.
There has to be more of a defensive effort. The players have to take pride in defending and not just try to outscore other teams.
There are a couple of players that can be counted on for certain things, such as, Vucevic getting rebounds (11.2), Payton and Oladipo getting steals (1.5 & 1.6), and Gordon giving hustle, but the team as a whole needs to improve. Orlando currently ranks 24th in defensive efficiency rating by allowing 105.4 points per 100 possessions according to ESPN.com.
Lastly, the team is just flat out young.
There is a lack of experience on the roster. Players will show flashes of improvement, but it is hard for them to do this consistently on a nightly basis. The positive here is that they can only continue to grow and learn how to play with one another. There is a lot of untapped potential on this team and this could mean that the team is only a couple of years, or players away from making it all come together.
However, fans are growing tiresome of the process and want to see results now. And there is always the concern that losing habits will creep in after three years of abject defeat.
Vaughn will probably need to be replaced by no later than the end of this coming summer. It seems his coaching is just not working with this team or that he has been able to turn the corner with this group. The Magic should have a better record than they do with the talent that they have on the roster.
It will be Rob Hennigan’s job to figure out which coach will suit this team the best. No one should be giving up on these players just yet, because there is a lot to like, they just need the right style of coaching to take them to the next level.
Orlando will some day be consistent again. They will make runs in the playoffs and get interest from valuable free agents in the summers. They will get national TV buzz and a bandwagon of fans. The only question is, “When will that be?”.
Most of us probably thought it would be sooner than later.
Next: What does the national media think of the Magic's inconsistent nature?