The Orlando Magic brought in Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo to anchor their defense. Their rim protection, help defense and versatility will be the key to making the Magic defense successful.
The Orlando Magic front office made something very clear this offseason: They want to make the playoffs, and they want to do it by building an elite defense.
They are following the mind set that an elite defense will be enough to carry them into the Eastern Conference playoffs, and that is a reasonable thought. There was a correlation coefficient of more than 0.8 between defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) and wins last season, and that number is about 0.75 in the past two seasons.
Essentially, the better a teams defensive rating is, the more likely it is to make the Playoffs.
Last season 12 of the top 13 defensive teams made the postseason, with the one exception being the eighth-ranked Utah Jazz who finished with 40 wins, just outside the Western Conference playoffs.
The keys to the Magic defense taking a step up into the elite level are versatility, awareness and rim protection. The additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo are going to help the team immensely in those categories.
It is very obvious how Ibaka and Biyombo will improve the team’s rim protection abilities.
Both players are incredibly long and athletic. Both Ibaka and Biyombo were measured pre-draft as having a 9-foot-3 standing reach, and both players can jump high — very high. Ibaka registered a 33-inch max vertical while Biyombo had no recorded number on DraftExpress, but he has shown plenty of leaping ability with some strong blocks throughout his career.
Both players cover an extraordinary amount of ground, and if they are in the restricted area, it is very difficult for opponents to put shots up over them.
They have each averaged more than 2.0 blocks per 36 minutes every season of their respective careers, and they were both ranked in the top 10 in field goal percentage against in the paint (Ibaka was fifth, Biyombo was eighth). Their notorious blocking ability mixed with their size will enable them to defend and limit close range shots.
Shots at the rim will no longer be easy shots against the Magic, and that will be a huge weapon for them.
It is not enough to be able to defend at the rim, but elite interior defenders must be able to rotate on help defense and get to the proper spots in order to be able to defend well at the rim. Both players have succeeded in that as well.
Not only will strong help defense and rim protection help the team defend shots in the paint, those aspects will also help the perimeter defense.
The perimeter defenders last year were not able to play as aggressively and intensely as they could have, because if they made a mistake they were fairly confident it would lead to two easy points for their man.
Ibaka and Biyombo are the ultimate safety nets. The perimeter defenders will be able to play up on their man, force turnovers and run players off the 3-point line knowing even if they do get beat there will be no easy baskets.
Rim protection and 3-point defense were two huge factors in predicting wins, so the Magic should expect more success if they are elite in those two areas this season.
New coach Frank Vogel has had success in the past scheming for his athletic and relentless perimeter defenders to play aggressive at the 3-point line and funnel their man into the paint, where an elite interior defender would be waiting for them. He definitely has the potential to succeed with that game plan once again.
There is more to this duo too and the potential they have to add to the defense. Ibaka and Biyombo have the potential to anchor an elite defense because of their versatility.
They both can play significant minutes at the center position, and they have an ability to defend at the perimeter and stand a chance switching onto guards, something that has become so important in this league.
NBA offenses have been using ball screens more often than ever now, and defenses have learned that switching on them can be the most effective way to defend them as long as a team has the personnel to do that. If not, the team has two huge mismatches and will likely get burned.
Ibaka and Biyombo have the ability to stay with a ball handler well enough to allow Vogel to implement a switch-heavy response to ball screens. The incredibly long wingspans help with their abilities to gain ground on a ball handler.
The video above is an example of Biyombo’s ability to stay with a guard at the perimeter. J.R. Smith is unable to shake Biyombo, and his long wingspan bothers Smith and eventually allows him to block the shot and start a scoring chance the other way.
The Magic will be able to switch on screens in most situations next year, as they have another extremely versatile defender in Aaron Gordon.
They have the ability to play one of Ibaka and Biyombo on the court at all times, and if they decide to keep two of Ibaka, Biyombo and Gordon on the floor at all times, they will be able to switch on a screen set by either big man and still have a capable rim protector in the paint ready to help in case someone gets beat.
The additions of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo were huge steps towards becoming an elite NBA defense, something the front office has made a clear priority for years. Those two players bring strengths in rim protection, rotation defense and versatility. And their abilities will also help the perimeter defenders thrive.
The Magic are set to be able to play all 48 minutes with an elite rim protector on the court, and that will be a huge asset in being able to prevent big runs from the opponents.
Next: Aaron Gordon keeps on dunking
Similarly to last season, the Magic should be in the mix for a playoff spot, and if the offense can be anywhere near the top 15 or 20, the team will have a very solid shot to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012.