Orlando Magic offense unable to sustain itself without identity

The Brooklyn Nets came to Orlando hard-charging and ready to score and attack. The Orlando Magic could not respond, form-fitting into an uncomfortable shape.

In the first quarter of the Orlando Magic’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, the Magic knew they had a distinct advantage and looked to exploit it.

The ball got dumped into Nikola Vucevic for post-ups and short rolls. Aaron Gordon got into the paint and attacked the smaller defenders on him. The Nets, admittedly young, were scrambling to swarm and surround the Magic’s bigs. Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon combined to score the Magic’s first 18 points.

In this game against another struggling team, Brooklyn was going to do what it needed to do and stick with an identity that has established the team as at the very least pesky. The result was not so much important as playing this style and establishing it deep into their core.

The ball moved quickly around the perimeter, twisting a scrambling Magic defense. Brooklyn may not always be the most effective offensive team or even a good defensive team all the time, but they were going to remain unrelenting.

"“They are very difficult to guard,” Shelvin Mack said. “All those guys have the green light and are able to drive and make plays. They are playing extremely hard. That’s one thing that you don’t see on film is how hard they play. When you allow them to dictate us instead of us dictating them, it’s going to be a rough night.”"

The Nets push the pace in transition going small with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at center for long minutes to increase their flexibility and put teams in difficult defensive binds. Coach Frank Vogel anticipated this difficulty, hoping Nikola Vucevic could make things up on the other end.

This is who the Nets are. They play this way rain or shine without apology and with full effort. It has not delivered them wins, but this is the style they are committed to. And it has brought them, at times, surprising success.

Orlando Magic

An Orlando team that struggled on defense got caught chasing screens and watching Brooklyn players cut by them. Unlike previous matchups, Orlando did not have the offensive firepower to keep up. The Magic watched the Nets tear up their defense with this fast-paced offensive style.

Orlando had no answer stylistically, seemingly trying to change their style to take advantage of their size. But that did not work. The Magic fell behind and had to chase the lead the entire game — from falling down 8-0 to start all the way to the end.

Brooklyn kept the foot on the pedal, it seemed. Whenever the Magic made a mistake or went through a drought, the Nets were there to make things worse.

A string of 3-pointers from Allen Crabbe in consecutive possessions made his 5-for-14 game seem much more impactful. The constant movement of players like Caris LeVert in transition and in the half court, kept Orlando scrambling.

Down four entering the third quarter, Orlando lost its offensive footing and never settled in defensively. The Magic were unable to keep the ball in front of them and Brooklyn tore into Orlando’s defense over and over again.

Even the early return of starters Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja could not steady the ship and provide that boost.

While the Nets moved and cut and put pressure on the Magic’s defense, the Magic’s offense remains fairly stagnant. Brooklyn pulled away and Orlando finally did not have an answer.

"“We knew that if you want to beat them, you have to defend,” Vucevic said. “We weren’t going to outscore them. They run their stuff really well. We just didn’t respond on the defensive end enough. We made a couple small runs to get close, but never enough to take over the game.”"

The difference in activity between the two offenses was a big difference. And possibly a reason why the Nets, even without their own pick in this upcoming draft, seem to have a clearer direction forward than the Magic.

Brooklyn is willing to try different things to create energy and space for their players to succeed. They experimented with this small lineup to try and create matchup problems, willing to take the heat on the defensive end.

That energized the team clearly. It forced them to do so, really on both ends.

Orlando at times tried to use that size advantage and force things into the post with Gordon or Vucevic. Both those players shot fine, but the ball stagnated. It went against the Magic’s principals and hopes for building an offense.

The quick doubles the Nets put on forced the Magic to pass it back to the outside or force quick jumpers. From there, Brooklyn used its athleticism to recover and force more tough shots.

Orlando missed its first 10 shots of the fourth quarter, allowing the four-point deficit to balloon to 17. The Nets scored 15 fast-break points total, but the attack seemed relentless. Brooklyn had 28 assists on 40 field goal makes.

The Magic were simply not good enough defensively.

"“We didn’t do a very good job keeping the ball in front of us, plain and simple,” Vogel said. “When they had two-man actions and were attacking our bigs, we didn’t make enough plays and have enough resistance at the rim either.”"

But this is the who the Nets are. They understand this identity and know this is how they will play. The Magic were trying to adjust to them the entire way through the game.

Orlando has spent a lot of time fretting over this question of identity. This team has rarely had a thing to hang its hat on. That remains one of the bigger issues facing the Magic. It is hard to say how they want to play.

Orlando wants to be an up-tempo team that spreads the floor. With all their injuries the team has struggled to keep the floor spread. Too often, the Nets could simply crash the lane and dare the Magic to kick back out. Orlando made just 11 of 31 3-pointers in the game (a solid 35.5 percent, but on a fairly large amount of attempts).

Brooklyn went small and their gamble worked. The Nets were able to outpace the Magic fitting into their identity while the Magic tried to form fit themselves into a style they believed could defeat the Nets.

Orlando is not going to form a final offensive identity. It may be impossible with all the injuries they face.

Next: Grades: Brooklyn Nets 111, Orlando Magic 104

It is clear Orlando has to find players that fit this new identity or whatever identity they want. No more form fitting. Otherwise, teams that know who they are will be able to take advantage.