It was a rough season for the Orlando Magic. Although things did not go well, there are plenty of things the team can learn from as they look ahead.
The Orlando Magic did not live up to the team’s expectations in 2017. They struggled in most phases of the game and fell out of the playoff race very early. Of course, even with the issues the team had this past season, they could be useful lessons the team can learn from as they try to pick up the pieces and get back into the Playoff picture quickly.
One of the biggest lessons the Magic must learn is putting players in a position that suits them. Orlando played one of their most important players out of position for the majority of the season, that cannot happen next year.
Also, the Magic made a change to small ball after the trade deadline. It was the case of too little, too late for Orlando. But at least the Magic found some sort of identity as the season ended. A full training camp and summer of planning for this style should only help.
The lessons are not only decisions made on the court but off the court as well. The moves the front office made did not work out either. Trading for Serge Ibaka and spending long-term money on two career backups had backfired.
The Magic must use all of the mistakes they made this year and use them to help improve as the new regime arrives.
This 2017 season can be turned into a positive if the team learns lessons from the mistakes they made throughout the year.
Aaron Gordon is a power forward
It was one of the biggest moves of the offseason. The Magic traded for forward Serge Ibaka to try to propel them to the postseason.
That trade was not just a big move for Ibaka, it was a move that changed Aaron Gordon’s role more than most people realized.
With Ibaka taking most of the minutes at the 4 during his time in Orlando, it forced the developing Gordon to change position and his role on the offense drastically. With Ibaka and center Nikola Vucevic taking up space down low, Gordon moved out to the perimeter. A place where he did not frequent until the start of the season.
It did not take long to see Gordon was not at home on the outside. He struggled to create off the dribble for himself or his teammates. Gordon’s shooting was not what the Magic needed. From the outside, he only shot at a 29.2-percent clip.
Leaving him on the outside only hid his strengths. The highlight-reel dunks and rebounding disappeared as he was trying to fit in a role he does not fit into naturally.
Following the Ibaka trade in February, Gordon came back to life. He scored more points (16.4 points per game after the All-Star Break) and rebounded (6.2 rebounds per game after the break) better when he moved back to his natural position of power forward. He quickly proved that he should play closer to the rim so he can use his athletic abilities to his advantage.
Gordon’s return to power forward turned his season around. The lesson for the Magic should be to keep him there and let him thrive. He is still a ball of potential, he just needs to continue to develop it.
Keep it small
In today’s NBA, “small ball” is all the craze. Teams are relying less and less on seven footers and are using smaller players in replace of them.
That was not the case for the Magic as they started the season. The Magic featured an imposing trio of Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo to protect the paint. Although all three were solid defensive players, trying to go big did not work for the Magic.
At the trade deadline, the Magic decided the going big experiment failed. They traded Ibaka for Terrence Ross and the Magic immediately changed their style. The offense moved faster and the Magic started to slowly but surely speed up their pace.
he offense moved faster and the Magic started to slowly, but surely, speed up their pace.
Along with the improvements Gordon saw with the move to smaller lineups, point guard Elfrid Payton ended the season on a high note. In the final month of the season, Elfrid Payton averaged 16.0 points per game, 5.7 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
He also had five triple doubles in the last two months, showing that when Payton is in the right situation, he can be a special player. The small ball lineup was a good fit for the young talent on Orlando’s roster.
Although the young guys took a big step up, the team’s offense looked much better. The team scored more points per game — 99.5 points per game before the All-Star Break to 104.9 points per game after the break. The new up-tempo style finally gave the Magic offense a jolt that it has not had in a long time.
Spend wisely
The Magic were not the only team to spend big in free agency. Throw in the Ibaka trade, the Magic made a few free agent splashes.
Orlando had a ton of cap room. The entire NBA knew the Magic were going to try to sign some big name free agents.
For the most part, the Magic struck out. The team settled for career backups who have proved that they belong in that same role.
After a breakout playoff performance with the Toronto Raptors, Bismack Biyombo appeared ready to see an increased role with another team. The Magic were a team that made sense. With Vucevic’s defensive deficiencies, Biyombo would be a good contrast when Vucevic was on the bench.
Sadly, Biyombo has not proved he is worth that massive four-year, $72-million deal he signed this summer.
He is still a solid option. But it is clear the Magic overspent because they struck out on so many other players. The roster’s poor construction seemed to emphasize Biyombo’s weaknesses most.
The other big signing was veteran point guard D.J. Augustin. Throughout his career, D.J. Augustin bounced around different teams as a solid backup point guard. Orlando felt he could find a home in Central Florida filling that role.
Orlando Magic
For years, the Magic have been searching for a backup point guard. They have yet to find success. Augustin’s first season in Orlando was not the one the team had planned. With him still under contract for three more years, the Magic are in a pickle and likely have to wait him out.
Last season, Augustin’s true shooting percentage (52.4 percent), offensive win shares (a career-worst 0.7) and offensive box plus-minus (a career-worst -0.9) were all much worse with the Magic than last year.
Orlando took a chance on two players, neither of them worked out in the first year of their new deals.
It looks like the Magic are going to have money to play with this upcoming offseason, they need to be smart with their money. They cannot settle like they did last season.
Patience is a virtue
This is not only the lesson the Magic need to learn from 2017 but from 2016 too. The Magic tried to speed up the rebuild and it has backfired. They are in a bad position and the future does not look bright.
In the past two offseasons, the Orlando tried to make the playoffs. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the team has risked what looked to be a bright future for it.
It seems pretty simple: The Magic were not ready to win. But pressure to win forced the front office to make moves the team was not ready to make.
Orlando sacrificed development for short-term gains and risks. Those risks did not pan out.
The young players on this roster have not developed into the players many thought they could become. There is still time, but the Magic were unwilling to give them any more. They decided to sign veterans to try and compete for a low seed in the playoffs.
The plan to compete has backfired. The Magic are now stuck in no man’s land. They do not have a star player, they are locked into some big money deals and are back to the top of the Lottery. The process to rebuild was rushed and they are now in a terrible situation.
Next: Orlando Magic are still young and need time to grow
If the Magic want to find success in 2018, they need to be patient. They cannot rush their way to the playoffs. It is not fun to lose, but it may be the only way the Magic can get back on their feet.