Orlando Magic will have growing pains as they start going younger

The Orlando Magic plan to give younger players more playing time — slowly. And as Friday showed, the results can be good but come with growing pains.

The inevitable is arriving at the Orlando Magic’s doorstep. Even coach Frank Vogel knows it.

The season is winding down. His team is at the bottom of the standings and playing out the string. And everyone knows it.

Vogel is still pushing for wins and throwing out his veteran players. He still wants to put his best player out there. But things have definitely taken a different tenor. Vogel said before the game he will try to get his young players — like 10-day signee Rodney Purvis and rookie center Khem Birch and rookie forward Wesley Iwundu — more playing time.

That process has been slow all season. Vogel still trusts his veterans to get the job done. And in some instances, there is nothing but veterans to play.

But the goals for the season inevitably will shift. And they are getting there as Vogel plays his young players more and more.

As Friday night proved, that can lead to some rough outings but also plenty of promise. And some rough stretches. Then again, Friday, the whole night was rough. But, again, some sign of hope. It is those small moments that everyone waits on.

The minutes do not quite reflect the change the Magic will undergo. But for a long time, Vogel has run 10- or 11-man rotations. He is trying to squeeze Khem Birch into the rotation — still playing fewer minutes than Bismack Biyombo. It has been imperfect for sure as Vogel tries to balance all the competing interests the Magic have — to put themselves in position to win and to give young players more time.

Of course, the downside to that is the growing pains that will inevitably come. And there are plenty of them.

There were moments throughout the game with young players or veterans where the offense just looked stuck. Orlando is not going to get around these. Not with how depleted the team is. The Magic offense already was not great, but without consistent shooting or scoring, the team sometimes looks lost on that end.

It remained that way. But there was hope in the energy the Magic’s young players brought.

The bench units that feature Shelvin Mack, Wesley Iwundu, Mario Hezonja, Khem Birch (or Jonathan Isaac) and Bismack Biyombo did not look much better than the starters. On most nights, those are the lineups that bury the Magic further in the hole — remember the 15-point lead the Magic blew in the second quarter to the Los Angeles Lakers?

That bench lineup especially is devoid of great ball handlers and creators and 3-point shooting. It is no wonder those units struggle.

The lineup of Shelvin Mack, Rodney Purvis, Wesley Iwundu, Khem Birch and Bismack Biyombo has a 98.2 offensive rating in 21 minutes. The lineup of Shelvin Mack, Wesley Iwundu, Mario Hezonja, Jonathan Isaac and Bismack Biyombo has an 81.6 offensive rating in 17 minutes.

It is hard to find a bench unit with an offensive rating better than a point per possession. This is a group that just does not have the ability to generate a ton of offense. With Isaac or Birch out there, they can be effective defensively.

And obviously, they are not playing very long together. These are the growing pains of throwing mismatched young lineups out there.

Playing youth for youth’s sake often gets the team nowhere. Those players typically are not prepared to play at a high level consistently. That is certainly the case in Orlando.

Instead, you play youth together to give them some experience and let them make mistakes. It is not done to create results. Not in the present moment.

You play those young players together for the flashes they might show individually. Rarely are they going to be in those lineups. You just hope to see flashes of what those players can do individually and within the group.

Orlando saw that too Friday.

Their best lineups on a hopeless offensive night was that bench lineup that featured Isaac and Purvis. The team posted a 95.0 offensive rating in 11 minutes. But they held the Celtics to 52.7 points per 100 possessions in that time.

They at least were able to keep the game close and put the Celtics’ second unit in an offensive slump. It was an energetic group that did those little things. It was a positive sign for a team searching for some purpose.

It is no coincidence Iwundu, Purvis and Mack had the best plus-minus ratings on the team. Those players played hard and with energy. Exactly what you expect from young players and from players looking for their opportunity. Plus one steady-handed veteran.

The positive moments came from Isaac making defensive plays and getting out in transition.  Or Iwundu doing the same. It was the small moments that made this lineup work. And it will be those small moments that carry that group through the rest of the season.

It was still hardly perfect. The Magic never really made up much ground. Not until the game was decided at the end. The deficit still seemed to grow. Orlando’s offense is reaching embarrassing levels. The team was still fighting for 80 points, and they barely got over that hump.

Credit to their defense for allowing them to make the final score look respectable. Because the Magic continued their string of terrible offensive performances overall.

Getting Aaron Gordon back will bring some more lineup challenges. The Magic will have to find a way to keep playing Birch in that process. But it is important. Not only for his offensive boost but also the promise of playing him with Isaac.

There is still a lot to learn. And still, a lot to learn from these young players. Their success is the Magic’s ultimate long-term success.

Orlando is still trying to find the right way to balance their young players. They are trying to get their young players their opportunities where they can. Orlando may never start a fully young lineup. But slowly, but surely, those minutes will see a steady uptick.

Orlando might profess to be trying to win. But it seems unlikely the days of an eight-man rotation are coming back. It is to Orlando’s benefit (for several reasons) to expand its rotation and give these hungry young players a chance.

It will not be perfect. Friday was far from perfect.

Next: Grades: Boston Celtics 92, Orlando Magic 83

But the results can only be promising. And that is the ultimate promise of youth. The only thing the Magic can hunt for in these final 15 games.