Orlando Magic’s bench unit’s goal is to bring energy

The Orlando Magic have not gotten a lot of scoring from the bench yet. But they have provided good energy to maintain the team’s identity and defense.

The Orlando Magic trailed the Miami Heat early in their opening game last week. The starting lineup of D.J. Augustin, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic found themselves in a bit of a hole as they got swept up in the anticipation for the season.

When Steve Clifford made his first substitutions — bringing in Terrence Ross and Mohamed Bamba for Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac — the Magic were already down seven points midway through the first quarter. The team was still getting its footing.

The bench unit featuring Terrence Ross and Mohamed Bamba — along with Aaron Gordon, Jonathon Simmons and Jerian Grant — proved to be the engines of change for the Magic helping them capture the lead and expand it in the fourth quarter.

It was a surprising turn. Orlando was not exactly known for its depth. But the group, which played sparingly throughout the preseason thanks to injuries and minutes restrictions, quickly came together and had a strong chemistry to turn the tide.

"“Our last preseason game we didn’t play our best,” Jerian Grant said before Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. “We made sure in practice that we played hard and really got to know each other and it showed. We brought a lot of energy defensively and offensively we shared the ball.”"

The first game proved to be dynamite for the Magic. Grant said the bench unit wanted to bring energy and that is exactly what they did. And largely that is what it has done throught the season so far.

That bench unit played a team-high 19 minutes together in that first game and posted astounding numbers — 126.3 offensive rating and 66.7 defensive rating.

But it was one game. And that momentary glimmer of a strong bench able to rescue the starting unit proved to be short-lived. Like much of the Magic team, there were initial encouraging results but the team is still defining its roles and getting its footing.

Through the first four games of the season, the Magic’s second unit of Jerian Grant, Jonathon Simmons, Terrence Ross, Aaron Gordon and Mohamed Bamba have a horrid 91.9 offensive rating but a strong 70.6 defensive rating. The unit has played 42 minutes together so far, trailing only the starting lineup in minutes played at this early point in the season.

There are inconsistencies. The bench helped keep the boat steady defensively in the loss to the Hornets last week. But it was the bench unit that struggled to contain the early onslaught from the Philadelphia 76ers on the road, giving up the early lead.

But this is a group that seems like it is here to stay.

"“We just brought energy to the game,” Bamba said before the Magic’s game against the Hornets. “It’s easier to do when the bench is supportive.”"

Individual players appear to have some struggles, specifically on offense.

Ross is averaging 9.8 points per game but shooting an icy 39.0 percent effective field goal percentage. Simmons is also getting himself back into playing shape, scoring 7.7 points per game on a 29.3 percent effective field goal percentage.

Grant has been aggressively attacking the basket and had some solid finishes. But he has also gotten himself stuck and trapped unable to pass his way out. The Magic are splitting their finishes with Jerian Grant and D.J. Augustin depending on how they are playing. But Grant has had his struggles leading the crew.

It seems to be getting worse and worse offensively for that unit. And it should be a concern for the team as it relies heavily on Gordon to carry that unit offensively.

But their purpose is to come in and keep the team’s defensive intensity and energy up.

Against Miami, Ross did not put up a ton of points but had two key blocks and several strong defensive plays. Simmons and Grant did a good job putting pressure on the defense with their drives and finishes around the basket. And Bamba was energetically chasing shots and running the floor.

This was exactly how the Magic want this group to play.

There have been other plays and moments for that unit that were less highlight worthy. Ross is as smart a defender as the Magic have and does a great job getting out in transition. Simmons has looked re-engaged defensively and is a big part of the Magic’s lockdown defense with that second unit.

It is all still a work in progress. But that unit also echoes the bigger developmental message the team has.

Clifford put an emphasis on building a team with positional versatility. It is key to any success in this league. That is the kind of players Jeff Weltman has begun to put together in the starting lineup. That versatility has found itself with the bench too.

"“I think one of the things that is going to be a strength for our team is positional size and athleticism and versatility is a big deal to play well every night,” Clifford said before Friday’s game against Charlotte. “We have guys that regardless of how other teams change their lineup, we’re going to be fine. All you need is guys like Jonathan and Aaron. You have to have versatility and size to be really good. We have that. Now it’s just a matter of developing it and developing a way to play.”"

Undoubtedly, the bench has had its problems for the Magic throughout the years.

Depth is a big story for every team that is struggling to win. Too often a bad bench puts pressure on the starters to carry the entire load and eventually that crumbles — especially when the starters are not the best in the league either.

The Magic’s bench has done some good things. It has brought plenty of energy and largely kept up the team’s defensive intensity.

But it is still hard not to notice the scoring output. The Magic are 27th in the league in this early in bench scoring, according to NBA.com, averaging 31.3 points per game. Bench players are shooting 35.9 percent for the year, that is currently the worst mark in the league.

Against the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic had only 14 points from reserve players and they shot 6 for 26 from the floor. That is not a sustainable formula for success.

It is not a major concern yet, of course. It is still early in the season and the team is getting settled into its roles. The bench unit has its flaws and will have its inconsistencies. But the energy it has brought has largely helped sustain the team’s energy.

At least, so far.