Orlando Magic searching for defensive rhythm, toughness

The Orlando Magic allowed their defense to slip significantly and it has hurt them more during this losing stretch. The focus then has been on recovering.

The spark plug for the Orlando Magic in Monday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers came on the defensive end. Late in the game, it was their undoing.

The best play of the night came from Bismack Biyombo. He blocked a shot at the rim, repositioned himself and challenged the putback and grabbed the rebound. The Magic were energized from the play and out and running.

He fed the ball to D.J. Augustin on the outlet who started the break and found Jonathon Simmons streaking to the hoop for a massive two-handed jam. It was one of the rare moments to breathe offensively for Orlando in the 105-97 loss.

As evidenced there, it was still the defense that cost the Magic in the game. Orlando got caught scrambling in their heavy switching scheme and gave up an open three to Bojan Bogdanovic to lose the game. Turnovers played a role too allowing the Pacers to get out in transition.

The Magic did a lot of good things in trying to reclaim their defense and their defensive energy. But they still had a long way to go. Their defense throughout this season has simply not been good enough. Not if they want to be the fast-breaking team their style seemingly dictates.

"“I think we’re good in spurts right now,” Jonathon Simmons said. “We need to put in less mistakes than the other team in order to win. We have shown we have good length and we can play defense. It’s just about putting it together and trusting each other.”"

Overall, Orlando’s defense has shown that level of inconsistency.

Perhaps it has been that way all year. The Magic at one time were one of the top defenses in the league during their stellar 6-2 start. But even coach Frank Vogel would say they were not playing like a top-five defense. And that was easy to see. There were holes developing.

For the season, the Magic are posting a 104.4 defensive rating. That is good for 16th in the league. But that ranking has been decreasing. In the last nine games, where the Magic have lost seven, Orlando is giving up 108.2 points per 100 possessions. That is 26th in the league among every team’s last nine games.

The Magic’s defense has slipped as much as its offense. It has been a source of primary concern for the team. Many of the holes the team displayed early in the season — giving up points in the paint and offensive rebounds especially — have come to the forefront in these defeats.

"“Defense is a string,” Simmons said. “It takes all five guys to stop the other team. That’s mostly our problem is defense. We’re not too concerned about offense because we can put it in the basket. As long as we can gather the string together and play defense together, we’ll be fine.”"

Elfrid Payton said he has noted some slippage — albeit, Payton is still working to get himself back fully from injury although he would not use that as an excuse. Elfrid Payton said he felt teams were getting into the lane too easily. The Magic, in his estimation, have to be more active on help and play better on the ball.

Indeed, Orlando has given up the highest frequency of shots within six feet according to NBA.com at 37.9 percent of shots close to the basket. On top of that, Orlando has the third-worst defensive rebound rate in the league. Opponents grab one of every four misses against the Magic.

That leaves a lot of room to recover and improve. The Magic know they have to address these deficiencies. Especially if they want to start that vaunted fast break.

And doing that is simply a mindset.

"“We’ve got to try to kickstart it. It’s a mindset,” Payton said. “It’s got to be a mindset. I’m not going to let my guy score. And also if my teammate gets beat, I’m going to be there. It’s a mindset.”"

That mindset has not always been there. The Magic have always seemed a bit off kilter defensively. They go into scramble mode a lot. Lately, teams have attacked their weak pick and roll coverage and the Magic have struggled to box out on the weak side or cover the roll man with help defense. Simmons is right that the defense seems to come in spurts.

The Magic were a top-10 defense during their 6-2 start. They had a lot of these same holes but played defense at a high enough level long enough to cover them up. Not to mention their shots fell at an incredible rate. They have a strong defensive team in them.

Orlando has not seen its defense play well enough, long enough.

Monday’s game was a great example of that. The Orlando Magic played their best defensive game overall (by defensive rating according to Basketball-Reference) since the win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Magic held the Pacers to a low field goal percentage and less than a point per possession, according to NBA.com.

That was a positive sign for the team. Their defense kept them in the game even as the offense frustrated them. That was a small silver lining to the game. The focus afterward was rightly on the team’s poor overall execution.

Defense though remains a thorny issue for this team. Orlando still has a lot they have to recover on that end. And a lot they have to develop.

And developing that will ultimately help the Magic right the ship offensively.

"“I think defense is our biggest issue,” Simmons said. “Just being tougher. That’s within the heart. We just have to come together, stay together as a team. It’s a long season.”"

There is still plenty of time for the Magic to right the ship. With the offense coming back down to earth, Orlando will have to rely on its defense even more.

Next: Playoff aspirations still realistic for Orlando Magic

Getting the defense back on the right track will certainly be an important first step for Orlando to recover.