How do you diagnose a losing streak? I discuss the Orlando Magic and how they work through this losing streak on this week’s Facebook Live show.
The Orlando Magic are not quite in crisis mode as their season turns out of the first quarter.
At 8-12, the Magic are still very much in reach of the final Playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — 2.5 games out — and still have plenty of time to get back on track and even climb back to .500. One good win streak can change a lot in this league. Even in a better-than-expected Eastern Conference.
But the alarm bells are ringing. It certainly does feel like the Magic’s season is slipping away.
As Evan Fournier put it, everything feels bad when the team is losing. And the Magic have not won since Nov. 10 and are on an eight-game losing streak. They have lost 10 of their last 12 games too. That is how you fall from one of the best teams in the league to statistically one of the worst teams in this stretch.
Orlando has some big problems to sort through if they are going to turn the corner. And no one would blame fans for being a little skeptical. Talk of the Playoffs seems a bit too optimistic.
Not with the team getting gouged defensively — 111.5 points allowed per 100 possessions in the last 12 games, the worst mark in the league. Not with the team getting blown out by 25-plus points regularly. The Magic trailed by 40 points to the Utah Jazz, 26 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves and 31 points to the Boston Celtics. All within the span of a week.
That is the kind of embarrassing play the Magic hoped they had put behind them after last season. Orlando is still working through many of those issues. When things go bad, they tend to spiral.
Before the Magic can think about a Playoff run, they have to compete consistently again. And, of course, win.
In other words, the way Orlando has gotten to 8-12 has been more concerning than if they had gotten to that point the way everyone seemed to expect.
This Magic team has played at an incredibly high level and an incredibly low level. It feels like the season is at a turning point.
And that was the main point of discussion in this week’s Orlando Magic Daily Facebook Live. Where do the Magic go next? How can they fix this in both the short- and long-term?
The options for the Orlando Magic feel very limited to make any immediate changes to the roster or to the starting lineup even. But it is clear the Magic are not working right now and some kind of rotation change is needed to generate a spark.
The Magic could try any number of new combinations to get there. They could start Bismack Biyombo and D.J. Augustin over Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton — a lineup coach Frank Vogel tried last year at about this time of the season. Orlando could try starting Jonathon Simmons for Evan Fournier or Terrence Ross to add some defensive energy and on-ball creation. Once Jonathan Isaac is healthy, the team could insert him into the lineup to add some defense.
Orlando has a lot of problems and no change is likely to matter without everyone on the team pulling together and getting their energy level up. There are no cure-all fixes — not even getting Jonathan Isaac back since the team is 0-5 when he does not play.
There is no clear path out — either by adding players from the outside or working with the players already on the roster.
It feels like the Magic will have to hold the boat steady as much as they can until the schedule lightens up some starting Dec. 3 in New York and throughout that month. December may prove to be a big deciding month for the Magic and the direction they head.
Orlando will have to show a lot of resolve before then. The Magic are not competing for anything playing the way they are playing right now.
And that is only adding to the frustration.
Next: Orlando Magic must change rotation to regain intensity
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