Shifting lineup, roles at heart of what is wrong with Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are mysteriously a mediocre team. So, what exactly appears to be the problem? The root cause is multiple.

If you have been keeping up with the Orlando Magic this season, then you might realize it is going to take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what is wrong with them.

Coming into this season, the plan was to bury the rebuilding process and open up the winning blueprint. And they started out strong to get to a 19-13 start. It seemed things were heading in the right direction.

But it appears they have not improved much at all as the season has wound past the All-Star Break and into the home stretch.

The Magic are currently 27-36, 11th in the Eastern Conference and falling back to the pack with the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks also sitting at 27 wins. On even worse matters, the Magic are 21st in points per game (100.8) and 14th in points allowed (102.5).

Last season, the Magic were 25-57, so they are not as bad as they used to be. The record has improved. But there is nothing drastically improved here, which is a problem.

Young teams need to know when to get off the training wheels and start biking on their own. It is unfortunate the Magic are still nursing those training wheels. The playoffs are growing distant for Orlando right now, so what is the reason for all this?

One of the reasons why the Magic are still just mediocre could be the constant lineup changes. Scott Skiles has plugged in numerous starting lineups this season, and the inconsistency may have hurt the players.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports that uncertainty may have changed a mindset within the Magic.

"The biggest change occurred mid-season when head coach Scott Skiles moved guard Victor Oladipo to the bench and started to play Channing Frye as a starter. While that helped the team to some wins, it also created a bit of a crisis of confidence and questioning of roles among some of the young guys.What started as bruised egos swelled into self-preservation and a group that was looking at their coach for answers began to doubt motivations. When teams start looking over their shoulder, things usually don’t turn out well."

There is no putting that card back in the box.

The December lineup change to insert Channing Frye into the lineup and take out Victor Oladipo rocked the apple cart. Skiles had Channing Frye starting at the four and Tobias Harris at the three with Evan Fournier sliding in at the two. Now that both of those players are traded, the Magic have Evan Fournier starting at the three and Aaron Gordon at the four with Victor Oladipo back in the lineup.

And that is just the beginning on how many different combinations this roster went through. Still, there may be another change on the horizon, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

"“We’ll get together and talk about it and we may make some changes,” Skiles said after Orlando’s 107-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at the Staples Center. “We’ll try to come up with something to try to re-energize us. But everybody, throughout the year, has gotten an opportunity, so it’s about taking advantage of the opportunity.”"

It is almost unsettling what Skiles has left up his sleeve. Then again, the team’s inconsistent play has left him with little choice to create a spark.

At this point, if it has not worked, then it could be more than just a starting lineup.

While Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton are solid rising players, they are not completely out of the possibility of getting traded. No one is.

With the offseason coming up in the summer, Rob Hennigan may make some big changes by trade. They already traded Tobias Harris, which seemed unlikely at the start of the season, but it happened anyway. So, do not count out some big shakeups.

What about free agent signings? It is safe to say Kevin Durant will not be coming to Orlando, as that is just too big of a stretch. But there are plenty of other great free agents out there who could be Orlando bound.

The Magic will not be afraid to spend big money, if it is for the right player. DeMar DeRozan and Harrison Barnes could be amazing additions, but it is hard to imagine they would leave their respective teams for a growing team like the Magic. Perhaps Barnes is hungry for a bigger role, but his price tag could be heavy and he has not proven himself as more than a role player.

There has been reports Orlando is looking at Chandler Parsons, so he is another possibility. The Magic need that guy to put them over the top, and their current roster, while it is talented and strong, just is not enough.

The Magic started this season promising, but then dropped fast out of nowhere. Maybe the Magic got too confident for their own good, and now they cannot find their rhythm anymore. Maybe the rest of the league figured them out.

Either way, something is not right with this team.

Overall, it is hard to figure out what is wrong with the Magic. Their defense is sloppy, but with the players they have, it should not be. They have chemistry, but it is not translating into wins.

Skiles is a good coach, but he is not turning this team into something good. It is a mystery, to say the least.

The Magic have a roster that is better than what their record says. Or maybe they do not.

The hardest part of any rebuilding process is making an identity for the team. Unfortunately, like an exam test, it appears the Magic cannot answer the last question right now.

Next: Addressing defense begins in the backcourt

And time is running out.