Orlando Magic’s offense sudden surge not surprising to team
Through 10 games, the Orlando Magic are a surprise with their sudden surge of offense. Last year’s worst offensive team is now one of the league’s best.
When the ball whips around the perimeter for the Orlando Magic, defenses can do nothing but hold their breath. It is opposing defenses now hoping and waiting for that shot to miss. If it does, they breathe a sigh of relief.
That may be happening more and more lately. And teams are beginning to scheme the Magic, trying to cut down their ball movement. It is not something anyone thought they would have to do or worry about.
It is early, and the Magic have seen some regression to the mean in the last two games — disappointing defeats where the previously second-best offense in the league failed to break 90 — but the Magic’s offense has been the biggest revelation of the season so far. It is something that has truly transformed the team.
What pushed Orlando from interesting team to darling of the early season was that overwhelming, impossible offense. It was something nobody predicted. Nobody, except the Magic themselves.
What the team was offensively last year does not matter. The Magic are a new team and their offense is a sign of that more than anything.
"“It’s not really a surprise,” Nikola Vucevic said before Friday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. “I maybe didn’t expect it to happen so quickly for us to play such good basketball on that end. We all know how much we struggled last year to play as a team, to take good shots and to make the right play.“This season it was a big jump. I thought it would take some time for us to buy in and make it work. It seemed from day one, we bout into it. That’s the reason we are so efficient.”"
The Magic’s numbers through after an ever-more-significant 10 games are strong, even after struggling the last two games on that end.
Orlando Magic
Orlando is 13th in the league in offensive rating, scoring 105.3 points per 100 possessions. They are fifth in effective field goal percentage at 53.6 percent. They are seventh in overall field goal percentage at 46.8 percent and second in 3-point percentage at 40.0 percent.
Most of those numbers look a bit more normal after the team’s scorching start in the first eight games. The Magic are still finding their base statistically, but it almost certainly seems to be higher than it was at any time last year.
For comparison’s sake, the Magic last year finished 29th in offensive rating, scoring 100.7 points per 100 possessions. They were 29th in effective field goal percentage at 48.9 percent, 28th in overall field goal percentage at 44.0 percent and 29th in 3-point field goal percentage at 32.9 percent.
A simple reason for the Magic’s surge in the record book is this offensive turnaround. Everyone seemed to expect the Magic to play like they did last year and be near the bottom of the league.
To see them at the top — or even the middle — is a huge surprise.
It is even more surprising considering the Magic made so few changes to the roster. The change has largely been internal — from a sea change in philosophy to players growing and becoming better 3-point shooters.
Not a lot has changed for the Magic, but everything has changed. And the players seem bought in with what is going on — the early success only reinforcing it.
The question is whether things will last.
"“To me, it’s still early,” coach Frank Vogel said before Friday’s game against the Bulls. “I’m impressed with how our guys have bought into the patience and playing for each other. I credit them for that. They are trying to play the right way with the pass and for each other. We just have to keep it going.”"
Of course, the team has not kept it going completely. The last two games stick out like a sore thumb, reminding everyone just what this Magic team was.
In the moments before the Magic’s loss to the Bulls on Friday, Vogel acknowledged to the media the team has come very far. But he wanted to guard against anyone on the team thinking they had arrived.
But in that same media session, Vogel admitted the Magic were a smarter offensive team and “across the board” ahead of where they were last year at this time. The team had found a style that fit the modern game better and players were buying into that scheme more than the post-based scheme the team tried last year.
Early success does not hurt either. Nor does familiarity and the determination to avoid a repeat of last year’s mistakes.
"“Guys are enjoying the process a little bit more,” Shelvin Mack said of his observation of his new team. “They understand watching film, what it takes. And then the excitement of getting on the court and executing it. It shows your hard work is paying off with the results with wins. It makes things easier.”"
Maybe the team has matured a little bit. Several players credited the team’s individual growth as a reason for this sudden surge. Something clicked in about the NBA and the process of getting ready for a game for this team.
Maybe some of it is the Magic have caught some teams by surprise. Their hot shooting buoying the team and giving them confidence. How they respond when they are not hitting shots will be telling.
That is where the Magic are right now.
In the last two games — both losses with just one natural point guard on the roster — Orlando is shooting just 38.4 percent from the floor and 16 for 64 (25.0 percent) from beyond the arc. The team has posted an 85.9 offensive rating.
Those are not good. Likely a return to the mean made worse by the team’s lack of point guard depth. The Magic are going to have to dig themselves out of this hole and find their new middle.
Like with how they recovered to build their devastating offense in the first eight games, they will need a reminder of what worked so well.
"“I think we are just more mature,” Nikola Vucevic said. “We understand what needs to be done to be successful. I think we all analyzed our mistakes from last season, what wasn’t working. Coach put a big emphasis on us by showing us clips of when we do play together and how well it is and when we don’t how ugly it can get. I think guys understood it.”"
But undoubtedly, the Magic offense has experienced a sudden surge. It is something Orlando relies on heavily for its success. They will need to make shots to keep this hot start going. That is an obvious, but still true statement.
Orlando may not be the devastating force it was earlier in the season. But the improvement is likely here to stay. There will still be those rough spots — and maybe a few more games like the ones the last two nights where shots will not fall.
Next: Orlando Magic looking for place in Eastern Conference
But the Magic are no longer a surprise team offensively. To the players on the roster, perhaps they never were.