The Orlando Magic are three weeks into their season and have had some wild swings. They have had some wild swings in two days. So who are they still?
The Orlando Magic are three weeks into their season and it is still hard to get a handle on who they are.
The team was supposed to have a defensive identity and that has not quite taken hold. The Magic still have one of the worst defenses in the league. Frank Vogel has implemented a lineup change to try and spark the team and refocus them in some way.
Those results have been mixed just like everything else so far this season.
Last week was a particularly troubling week for the Magic. They got blown out embarrassingly against the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Their offense sputtered against the Utah Jazz.
Then came the breakout win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Or at least what seemed like a breakout win. Monday, the Magic laid an egg offensively against the Indiana Pacers, losing by 19 points despite holding the Pacers to less than 90 points.
More than 10 games in now and it is hard to tell who or what this Magic team is supposed to be. Vogel certainly could continue some lineup tinkering. In the meantime, the games still count.
This team is still very hard to figure out — as Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux tried to discuss on the latest episode of Dunc’d on Basketball:
The power rankings this week reflect the Magic’s uncertain status. They remain a team near the bottom and optimism is short considering their poor statistics and play — specifically last week.
The Magic still have a long way to go to get where they want to be. Fortunately, the schedule seems to be in their favor to try to figure some things out.