Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

5 questions the Orlando Magic face in season’s second quarter

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Nov 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) shoots the ball in front of Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (11) during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) shoots the ball in front of Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (11) during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic, Shelvin Mack, Utah Jazz
Nov 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) drives to the basket against the Utah Jazzduring the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Can the Orlando Magic offense reach competency?

Just as the defense has soared, the offense has struggled.

The Magic keep their pace slow as a product of their defense, despite the desired intention to run. The pace stays low because the team has to work deep into the shot clock most possessions to get a good shot.

As good as the Magic’s defense is, the Magic’s offense is terrible.

Orlando is still 29th in the league in offensive rating (96.8 points per 100 possessions). The team is still last in the league in effective field goal percentage. The Magic simply do not make shots. The team has slowly improved, but its net rating remains in the bottom 10 — suggesting Orlando is one of the worst teams in the league.

Since Nov. 11 — the dividing line when the Magic first made their lineup change with Aaron Gordon — the Magic offense is not much better. That starting lineup featuring Jeff Green was famous for its stellar defense and its equally terrible offense.

Since the most recent lineup change, though, the Magic are faring better. They have a 101.3 offensive rating, 20th in the league since that date.

That is still not good, but it is not terrible either. It feels completely passable.

And that is what the Magic are going for here. They do not need the strongest offense in the league. They do not even need a top-10 offense — not until they are interested in contending, honestly.

To achieve their goals, the Magic just need a competent, league-average offense it would seem. That is what the team got in the last two games. But that has not been easy for the team.

Things do seem to be trending up offensively. Cautiously the team has found better offensive balance with its lineups. But the samples are too small. For Orlando to succeed in the second quarter of the season, the Magic need an offense that, well, works.