Orlando Magic needed to add depth to help starters, fuel competition

The Orlando Magic have searched for the depth to support their young core and starting lineup. They hope this year they found it. It may be the key.

For the last several years, the Orlando Magic always hoped for depth. In the last few years, the team has claimed it would have the depth to support its young roster and take that next step.

The team knew it did not have the star it needed to change the game just by his mere presence. Orlando was hoping one of its many draft picks would take that step up, but it never happened. Still, even into last year, the team believed it could create the kind of balance needed to find someone to step up every game and have the support to score.

That never materialized. It was not merely because the Magic never found their star or this “by committee” approach to stardom did not work. It was also because the team’s bench units never added the in-practice competition to help young players improve and get better. Nor did the bench give the team the support to bolster their starters.

The effects of a strong bench are still, perhaps, a bit intuitive. There is not a ton of analytics to suggest whether strong bench production means anything at all. Only three of the top 10 benches in terms of point differential made the Playoffs last year, according to HoopsStats. And only three of the bottom 10 benches missed the Playoffs.

One of those teams at the bottom last year was the Magic. Orlando’s bench had a -8.4 points per game differential, the fourth-worst in the league. The Magic were worse after the All-Star Break. They had the worst point differential in the league at -19.8 points per game, according to HoopsStats.

This all came while the starting lineup was improving. For the season, the Magic’s starters had a -5.8 point differential, 21st in the league. After the All-Star Break, Orlando had a +4.5 point differential, good for 10th in the league.

It all adds up to something, although it is not clear what. There is no perfect formula. It is obviously and intuitively clear a team cannot win with a poor starting group and bench. But these numbers also make it clear it is difficult to win even with a solid starting lineup if the bench is abysmal.

That is why the Magic remaking their bench this summer was so critical. Particularly with the assets the Magic had available to them.

Fans, at least, feel a lot more comfortable relying on the Magic’s second unit of Shelvin Mack, Arron Afflalo, Jonathon Simmons, Jonathan Isaac and Bismack Biyombo. It might just be early season optimism, but it feels like the team can be a bit more confident in that group over last year’s group — D.J. Augustin, C.J. Watson, Mario Hezonja, Jeff Green and Bismack Biyombo.

Just from a comparison standpoint, it is easy to see the Magic thought this was a priority too. Only Biyombo is projected to get minutes off the bench from last year’s roster. Orlando more or less completely remade its bench this summer.

That, of course, is no guarantee for success. Shelvin Mack averaged only 7.8 points per game last year (D.J. Augustin averaged 7.9 points per game). Arron Afflalo has been declining ever since he left Orlando. His 8.4 points per game were his lowest since the 2009 season, his second in his career. Jonathan Isaac is a rookie. Jonathon Simmons seems poised to be a breakout star in a bigger role, but he still averaged only 6.2 points per game.

It feels like the Magic are taking fewer risks with their bench, but the reality may be that things fall apart again. There is no guarantee. The team still lacks shooting — Afflalo is the only definite 3-point shooter in the bunch. And, of course, the Magic could choose to shorten their rotation if the starters are truly that good.

And there remains the question of whether the Magic can create enough internal competition to build each other up. That was something Afflalo said he hoped he could provide when he signed with the team in July. He said he viewed it as important for the team’s development.

"“It’s good. I think it builds character. I think it builds fire,” Afflalo told Orlando Magic Daily. “In this league, you have that fire and that passion to win or you will get rolled over. The more competition we can have in practice that translates onto the court, the better. I will definitely be here to push guys in the most positive way. Hopefully, it can lead to some wins on the court.”"

There are plenty of questions about whether Jonathon Simmons can push his way into the starting lineup, challenging Terrence Ross, another player who has spent the majority of his career coming off the bench. But just like how Terrence Ross is unproven as a starter — he showed good signed in averaging 12.5 points per game after joining the Magic — Jonathon Simmons is still relatively unproven as a player.

The Magic can only hope they have found the right mix. And the competition they want in practice develops to push players to be better.

It may help the center rotation as much as anything with Khem Birch and Marreese Speights pushing Bismack Biyombo and maybe even rookie Jonathan Isaac for playing time. And Jonathan Isaac should get some help going up against Aaron Gordon every day in practice since they are relatively similar players.

The Magic are operating this year with a lot of questions they need to answer. The biggest one might very well be whether the team’s finish with its starting lineup last year after the All-Star Break is something they can sustain. If they can, then it is very clear the team needs a stronger bench to make the most of it.

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Whether the Magic can get any added benefits from a strong bench will play out as the season goes on. They are clearly hopeful that they have done enough to give the starters that missing support.