What we learned about the Orlando Magic this preseason

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Aaron Gordon, Bismack Biyombo, Orlando Magic, Solomon Hill, New Orleans Pelicans

Oct 20, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Solomon Hill (44) fights for the rebound with Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) and center Bismack Biyombo (11) during the fourth quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. The game went into overtime tied at 105. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Offense

When the Magic front office assembled this team over the summer some fans and experts wondered where the offense was going to come from for this team.

There are some solid scorers, such as Serge Ibaka and Evan Fournier, on this team, but none of them can be considered go-to scorers. Another cause for concern was the limited outside shooting threat that Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon would bring to the starting lineup.

Throughout preseason it was obvious the Magic offense is currently a work in progress.

The Magic averaged 98.7 points per game in preseason, which ranks them 23rd in the NBA, with a 95.8 offensive rating and a pace of 100.7, near the pace the Magic want for the regular season. The team shot 43.1 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from behind the arc.

Two areas of struggle from the Magic in preseason were free throw shooting and turnovers. The Magic shot 72.4 percent from the free-throw line and turned the ball over 19.1 times per game with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.06.

The Magic will struggle to score at times during the regular season. This is why taking care of the ball and maximizing the number of possessions the team has per game will be vital to their success.

The bright side for the Magic is the team will have plenty of time during the regular season to make adjustments to their offense.

In preseason, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton became more and more confident in their perimeter shooting after each game. In the final game of the preseason against the Pelicans, Gordon and Payton both hit a pair of 3-pointers including a game-tying three by Payton to send the game to overtime.

Payton and Gordon’s growth on the offensive end and their confidence in their perimeter shooting will make or break the Magic this upcoming season.

If the opposition has to respect their outside shooting, it will lead to lots of easy drives to the basket by Payton, Evan Fournier and Gordon and a spaced out floor for Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic to do work in the post and with their mid-range game.