Consistency elusive for Orlando Magic

Growing pains are part of the process

This is part of the process, of course. Players have to learn how to be leaders in the NBA. That sometimes mean they force things and go through the growing pains a young team goes through.

Still the Magic should have had enough experience by the end of the season, many with multiple years in the NBA in semi-featured roles, to be able to put forth a consistent effort and have some kind of reliability. For the Magic, the team’s discipline within their system has peaked and waned at various times. And the poor offense has led to poor defense and frustration.

This is the kind of carry over that cannot happen. And learning this discipline is part of the team learning how to play consistently each night.

It was the story of the season.

“I think we showed glimpses this season where we played very well,” Hennigan said at the end of the season. “And we showed other times where we didn’t play well at all. There were some encouraging aspects of the season, there were some frustrating aspects oft he season. I think the next step for us is learning how to win. We were in a litany of games this season where it was a one, two possession game in the fourth quarter and we couldn’t find a way to win those games. I think the next step for our development is being more consistent and understanding the things we need to do to win games, plain and simple.”

It is discipline and consistency that separate good teams from bad teams. From grown-up teams to the growing ones. With the way the Magic have played of late, they feel like toddler on this long road to the top of the NBA.

Next: How do the Magic create consistency?