Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 6: More Tournament thoughts
Before we get to a defensive ceiling, let’s set a defensive floor.
During the 2014 season, the Magic posted a 104.8 defensive rating for 17th in the league. That was what gave us all hope that the team could be a better defensive team moving forward. Obviously, things have changed. James Borrego has had to re-shift the focus on the defensive end. And the team has plummeted to 105.8 and 26th in the league.
A point per 100 possessions worse and a major drop defensively. Things have not progressed.
But we have our floor at least. The 2014 team is more or less the same as this year’s team. Sub out Jameer Nelson for Elfrid Payton and Arron Afflalo for Victor Oladipo and the Magic backcourt seems to have improved. At least on paper.
Channing Frye’s position at power forward is the weak link on defense as having him and Nikola Vucevic paired together in the post has proven to be a disaster. The two just cannot cover for each other. At the very least, you could say Glen Davis was good at getting to his spot quickly to cut off dribble penetration.
And the Magic showed that significant defensive improvement — the Magic are capable of playing some good defense. They have shown that in stretches this year. Dewayne Dedmon’s presence alone has been a huge boost for the Magic. The team is 10.8 points per 100 possessions better defensively!
There is a good defensive team in there. Having a rim protector certainly helps. It might be something the Magic want to look into… if they had not put in so much of an investment on Vucevic.
But even Vucevic, I think, can be a better defender. He does understand good positioning on the floor, he just has to continue working on getting there and anticipating plays better. His one-on-one defense is not the problem, it is his ability to shift and rotate. The Magic always have to be prepared to cover up this fact.
So the Magic will not be an elite defense with Vucevic on the floor, but I think they can at least be average.
Next: Who should the Magic draft?