Comparing the Orlando Magic’s 2016 and 2017 collapses

Like last season, the Orlando Magic were in the playoff picture, only to find themselves plummeting to the basement of the NBA. What went wrong?

The Orlando Magic have collapsed. After a hot start to the season, the Magic now hold the third-worst record in the NBA, thanks to a Sunday win. The injury bug has taken the air out of the Amway Center and at 14-32, Magic fans are just waiting for the Draft.

Sadly, this collapse has become a trend for Orlando.

In 2015, Scott Skiles‘ Magic team was better than .500 well into the season. Then took a tumble and missed the postseason. The 2016 season was much of the same.

Last year, Orlando entered January at 15-19. There was at least some positivity surrounding the organization. Even if the Serge Ibaka trade was starting to look like a terrible decision, Orlando was at least in the playoff hunt. The team spent the first quarter of the season playing elite defense. There was still the belief the team could turn things around.

By the end of the month, Orlando was 12 games worse than .500 and ready to undergo another fire sale. A fire sale that began with the Magic trading Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors.

With the lottery as the final destination for a fifth straight year, Magic ownership decided it was time for a change.

With a new front office in tow, Orlando started the season off hot. Sitting atop the Eastern Conference two weeks into the season, Magic fans had something to cheer for.

Fast forward three months and the Magic are now among the worst teams in the NBA.

Taking a look at the past two seasons, Orlando has had some sort of momentum prior to their collapse in each year. The team showed signs of competence and even postseason potential. Both times, the team seemed better on paper beforehand only to see the pieces not fit together on the court.

Neither of those teams was able to live up to the expectations. And although there are a handful of similarities, the differences in the collapse of 2016 compared to this year’s are enormous.

In the past two seasons, Orlando’s biggest problem has been its bench. Despite having a decent starting five that typically plays up to par with most of the league, the Magic bench has consistently been among the worst.

In 2016, Orlando’s bench was putrid. The players did not gel together and lacked any scoring punch. Adding veterans like Jeff Green and C.J. Watson backfired and it blocked younger players’ development.

The bench issues have continued into 2018 as Orlando struggles when the second unit has hit the floor.

Losing players like Jonathan Isaac and Terrence Ross have forced players out of position and put more pressure on players that no one expected to get serious minutes. Wesley Iwundu and Mario Hezonja have done nice things with an extended look, but they haven’t done enough to stop worrying about the bench struggles.

In 2018, the Magic have the 25th best bench in the league according to HoopsStats. It was 27th best bench last year.

In both cases, the lack of depth was a big factor in falling back into the lottery. 2017 was a terrible year for Orlando in terms of injuries, but even if a minor injury occurred to a starter the team turned upside down.

There are a few other themes regarding both squads.

Defensive issues are one of the biggest disappointments. Despite boasting strong individual defenders like Serge Ibaka and Jonathon Simmons, the Magic are not good defensively, ranking 22nd in 2016 and 27th in 2017 in defensive rating.

This was meant to be a bedrock of coach Frank Vogel’s philosophy and the team’s identity. It has not firmly developed.

Both teams also had issues on the offensive end. Although the 2017 team started off scorching hot from behind the arc, things have cooled down from outside. The lack of a go-to option has also continued to hurt. Aaron Gordon has taken a big step this season, but he has not been consistent enough to rely on when the team needs a basket.

Oddly enough, the 2017 collapse seems to be far more painful. The Orlando Magic beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans and appeared to be one of the surprises of the young campaign.

Since then, Orlando has won six total games. Magic fans have had to deal with a lot of losing, but winning just six games in about two months is almost unimaginable.

The aforementioned injuries have torn apart the once bright season. The 2016 squad was spared of these struggles. But had a slew of its own.

Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac, Terrence Ross and Aaron Gordon have all missed extended time since Orlando’s 8-4 start. The Magic are probably a fringe playoff team when fully healthy, but the loss of four starters spelled disaster.

Orlando Magic

Taking a look at optics, the 2016 Magic was set up to make the playoffs. Former general manager Rob Hennigan traded for veterans and tried to speed up his rebuild.

Almost immediately it was clear Hennigan’s roster did not mesh and it was inevitable that the Magic would fail. Serge Ibaka and other additions like D.J. Augustin and Bismack Biyombo struggled early on and it spelled doom come January.

Fast forward to 2018, under Jeff Weltman, the Magic decided to run it back, essentially. Adding a few veteran pieces, the new regime clearly wanted to get a look at the roster.

After a hot start, it seemed that all of the high draft picks finally started to gel. Plus the infusion of veterans that have tasted winning might allow Orlando to make the much-anticipated step towards the postseason.

The early success changed the expectations. The fan base, who was desperate for wins, believed in the 2018 team. Gordon had a handful of 40-point games and appeared to be moving towards serious All-Star consideration.

Again, injuries and poor play decimated all hope by the end of November. That early collapse is the biggest difference in the past two seasons. The 2018 Orlando Magic were out of the conversation by mid-December.

Next: 2018 Draft Profiles: Deandre Ayton

Either way, the result is the same.