What the first half taught us about the Orlando Magic

Serge Ibaka is . . . Serge Ibaka

When the Magic traded for Serge Ibaka this past offseason, many wondered whether he would continue to regress, like he had the past few seasons in Oklahoma City, or if he would provide the Magic with the elite, versatile defense and scoring punch that they needed.

Turns out, moving to a team that would involve him more was just what the doctor ordered.

Ibaka is currently posting career highs in points per game, assists per game and usage rate while maintaining career lows in turnovers. If advanced metrics are your thing, his Player Efficiency Rating right now aligns with his very best years.

From almost every spot on the floor, he is making shots at a higher clip than he has since 2014.

His defensive rating is a career-worst 107 points per 100 possessions, but that should be taken with a grain of salt as individual defensive ratings can be skewed by a team’s overall defense (see next slide).

What should be more concerning is his continually regressing shot-blocking ability, which, moreso than shooting, can be a strong indicator of aging and decreasing athleticism.

Playing alongside another shot-blocker like Bismack Biyombo will inevitably reduce shot-blocking opportunities, but that alone does not account for his block numbers being around half of what they were at his peak.

That said, he is still a strong defensive player. He has a very strong case to be considered the Magic’s first-half MVP. If there were concerns about whether or not he could give the Magic a punch on both ends of the floor, they should be answered by now.