After losing 13 of their past15 game, the Orlando Magic need to get out of this rut. Here are five things they can do to get there and back into the Playoff race.
The Orlando Magic have fallen back to Earth. After a scorching hot start that saw the team sitting atop the Eastern Conference at 8-4, they are yet again staring at another trip to the lottery.
The injury bug has now hit and even with the schedule lightening up, climbing back into the playoff race will be a tall task. Aaron Gordon, undergoing the concussion protocol, and Evan Fournier, with a sprained ankle, should miss a few more games. Jonathan Isaac is still on the shelf too with his own sprained ankle for nearly a month now.
With pressure mounting, Orlando needs to try to stay afloat with most of the offensive production on the mend. Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton need to try and carry the Magic for a week or so before the rest of the starters can get back on the floor.
Injuries aside, there are still plenty of issues the Magic face.
Defensively, Orlando ranks among the worst in the league. Despite having a few strong wing defenders, teams have had no problem scoring. Rebounding is also an issue, teams attack Orlando on the offensive glass and manage a ton of second-chance points.
Overall, the starters have done a good job this season. They are consistently competitive.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for Orlando’s bench. Orlando’s bench unit has the third worst offensive rating in the NBA (98.1) and is outscored in nearly every contest. Even when the starters build up a lead, its almost a certainty the bench will make it disappear. The injuries stretching the bench thin has played a role for sure.
The Magic’s margin of error has shrunk considerably.
As the season continues to roll on, the Orlando Magic need to give Aaron Gordon the keys. Up to this point, he is the third option on the team, behind both Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier.
Gordon has improved in almost every aspect of his offensive game. Even if Orlando falls further out of the race, giving Gordon more opportunities could lead to greater things in the near future.
Defensive Improvement
Despite boasting a handful of solid individual defenders, the Orlando Magic are among the worst defensive teams in the NBA up to this point.
With coach Frank Vogel at the helm, most pundits felt Orlando would bank on its defensive prowess. Ranking in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating is not part of that formula.
The Magic have a handful of players who have had issues defending for their entire careers in their starting lineup. Nikola Vucevic has been a liability inside and he does not receive any help from Elfird Payton on the perimeter.
It may not seem fair to pick on these two, but they are key cogs for Orlando at the moment and with the injury bug striking, they need to be at their best.
Statistically, the Magic are among the league’s worst defensive teams. Their defensive rating of 107.6 puts them 23rd in the league. They are one of four teams to give up more than 110 points per contest.
The Magic are not just getting beat from deep either. They are being manhandled inside. They allow a league-worst 49.5 points per game in the paint.
Orlando struggled so much in the last month that teams may be having an off night still managed to score more than 100 points. The Orlando Magic have not kept a team to less than 100 points since Nov. 15 — granted the Atlanta Hawks scored only 96 points in regulation in the Magic’s overtime win last week.
Our Philip Rossman-Reich broke down how the Magic are making slight improvements on defense of late. But as he explained there is still a lot of work to do for Orlando.
It is very bold to call out the effort of players, but the Magic need to increase their defensive intensity. Orlando does not have the talent to get into a shootout. They need to bear down and get stops. Otherwise, they are bound to give up back-breaking runs.
Rebounding
Like the defense, the rebounding issues do not fall on one player.
Orlando’s big men are not adept on the glass, but far too often do other forwards and guards fail to box out their man. Even Aaron Gordon, who is having his best season as a pro has consistently allowed second-chance points.
At the moment, the Magic are the second-worst team in defensive rebounding percentage at 75.1 percent. Opposing offenses are crashing the offensive glass and are getting easy second-chance buckets. Orlando has allowed 13.8 second-chance points per game, and are tied with the Toronto Raptors for the fourth-worst mark in the NBA.
To continue with the trend, the Magic are giving teams 11.1 extra possessions per game. In the course of 48 minutes that will hurt even the best team’s chances of winning.
Nikola Vucevic (9.2 per game, more in line with his career averages but still the just the third year he has averaged less than 10 rebounds per game) and Aaron Gordon (a career-high 8.1 rebounds per game) are the only two players averaging more than five per game.
Again, rebounding comes down to effort. Orlando needs to make it a priority for to keep teams off the glass or it will be impossible to stay in ball games.
It will take a team effort to do so.
Getting the bench on track
For years, the Achilles heel for Orlando has been the bench. Despite having a fairly productive starting five, the Magic bench has been awful this season.
In Orlando’s last two contests, they have been outscored 94-42. It may be a small sample size, but this is a trend that has hindered Orlando all season long. When the starters are firing on all cylinders and build up a lead, the bench is quick to lose it.
In the offseason, the Magic appeared to go a long way to improve their bench. Adding veterans like Jonathon Simmons and Marresse Speights looked like improvements on paper. Even if they did not work out, the improved play of D.J. Augustin should have helped the second unit.
Jonathon Simmons has put together a strong season in regards to his stat sheet, but his inability to get others involved has hurt the bench. Every few possessions, Simmons should get control of the offense. But D.J. Augustin can run Orlando’s sets effectively.
D.J. Augustin can find players on the perimeter to set up 3-point shooters like Arron Afflalo and Mario Hezonja rather than let Jonathon Simmons drive into traffic every time.
The key to improving the bench may be Jonathan Isaac’s return. There are rumblings of him moving to the starting lineup, but he may have to come off the bench. He brings a ton of effort on the defensive end and although he still has a lot of work to do on offense, he can be a focal point with the rotational guys.
Unleash Aaron Gordon
The closest thing the Magic have to a star is Aaron Gordon. Injuries aside, the Magic need to give Gordon the keys. He has improved in almost every single aspect of his game.
Gordon is attacking the rim more often and finding success. His free throw attempts have gone up. And overall he is more aggressive. This is likely linked to his 3-point shooting.
Defenders need to respect his outside shot and it is allowing Gordon to blow by defenders and get to the rim. Gordon has fallen back to earth beyond the arc, but his 40.1 percent mark from three is among the league’s best. Adding the outside shot to his game has made him one of Orlando’s most dangerous weapons.
Gordon’s 18.5 points per game are the best mark on the team. And while his numbers have taken an overall jump, he is not being used more. Last season, he had a 20.1 usage percentage, this year he is only at a 21.5 percent.
With a minor increase in usage and a massive jump in numbers, Gordon has earned more looks. The fourth-year player makes things happen. Orlando does not have many consistent offensive threats, so giving Gordon the freedom to become one should be in the team’s best interests.
Get through December
The Orlando Magic have fallen apart of late. They have won three games since starting 8-4 and appear to be on the outskirts of the packed Eastern Conference playoff race.
On the positive side of things, the season is still young. If the Magic can continue to fight until they are back to full strength, they may have another run in them. Orlando can end the season at .500 and have pretty strong odds to make the postseason.
The problem is, the Magic may not be able to get past the recent string of injuries.
The Magic fell to a Hawks team that was led in scoring by Ersan Ilyasova and has just six wins this season. Orlando had a tough time beating one of the worst teams in the league.
Orlando showed some fight. They were undermanned and stayed in the game until the final minutes.
Next: Orlando Magic improved from 3, but still seeking balance
The schedule remains relatively light in the coming weeks. The Magic face the LA Clippers and Chicago Bulls along with home games against the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans.