Orlando Magic’s margin of error remains too small to lose focus

The Orlando Magic have some improved defensive play. But their focus must remain tight and intact to find any success. The margin of error remains small.

There was a play in the second quarter of Thursday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers that was a perfect example of the team’s potential defensively.

Damian Lillard was trying to work his way around a pick and roll and Nikola Vucevic was there to meet him. Not too aggressively, still giving himself cushion to stop any drives. But enough to firmly direct him toward the corner. This would give D.J. Augustin the time to recover and defend Damian Lillard while giving Nikola Vucevic the option to stay in contact with the roller.

This is the heart of what makes a good defense. The gentle suggestion to a ball handler to go to the places you want them to go. To put them in places where their options are limited and the defense can rotate and recover.

That was the case Saturday in Milwaukee too. There were moments where the defense looked dialed in and helped dictate play. The Orlando Magic making first and second efforts to get stops and spark some offense.

These were both short-lived. The Portland Trail Blazers and Milwaukee Bucks both figured out the Orlando Magic’s defense and started ripping it apart. The Magic were unable to adjust or find that energy to get stops again.

Thursday, Lillard rounded corners and attacked Vucevic trying to direct him away from screens and toward the corner. He got to the basket and when the defense collapsed he found outside shooters or finished over them anyway.

He is a star and knows how to take over games. The Magic lack that offensive spark and creator that gives them a little bit of a cushion. Portland sort of lazed through much of the game, building their lead and then letting Orlando sneak back in before Lillard would simply take over and end those hopes.

The Bucks had the same advantage in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He always had the shot or cut to tear apart the Magic defense. But Milwaukee also beat Orlando with its off-ball movement. The Bucks’ ability to spread the floor with all five players able to shoot from the outside created holes and pockets in the defense.

Each team brings its own challenges, of course. But the Magic are not a team that can lose focus for too many moments. They do not have a bailout player on offense — as evidenced by a sub-40-percent shooting night Saturday. They need their defense playing at a high level most of the night. Especially against elite offensive teams.

It is no surprise the team’s margin for error is so small. Orlando does not have a superstar player — on either end — to carry them and make up for mistakes. The Magic are still hoping their young players like Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba can develop into that.

But until then, the Magic have to work with what they have. And they know the formula for their success comes from an intense focus and an intense effort defensively.

This is the kind of focus and attention to detail the Magic have lost the last two games.

In each of those games, Orlando showed signs of its defensive potential but too often let that focus lapse. It was simple mistakes in coverages and intense effort that cost them on the defensive end.

A team that held the Boston Celtics to 90 points Monday proceeded to give up 128 and 113 points the next two nights. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field and worked their offenses with little disruption.

That is not who the Magic are trying to be. With their length and the talent on the roster, they have the ability to be disruptive. But that is not enough. They have to be in better positioning and dig in and make the extra play.

Vucevic is a good example of this. His shortcomings defensively are well documented — he is giving up 57.5 percent shooting at the rim, which is improved from last year. But he has often been willing to put in extra efforts to block shots or disrupt plays.

He still cannot do it alone. Vucevic will still sometimes struggle to set the right angle on ball handlers and that opens him up to drives.

Vucevic this year has been willing to make the next play and has had better anticipation of where things are going. But opponents still know they can attack him. And they do often still.

Knowing Vucevic still has those weaknesses should cause everyone else’s intensity to bump up. But that has not always been the case this year. And those little lapses expose the gaps for this team.

Orlando Magic

The Magic simply cannot afford to let go of the rope defensively or lose that focus and intensity. Breaking from the game plan or the team’s principles and rules on that end will lead to disastrous results. And the Magic’s offense is not strong enough to sustain porous defensive effort and attention to detail.

The Magic simply have a small margin of error on both ends to succeed. Losing attention to detail in the gameplan or focus and intensity in execution will leave the team exposed.

Orlando clearly still has a long way to go to build up its roster. In the short-term, the Magic certainly have a long way to go to build up its culture and habits defensively. Orlando seems to be working feverishly on that front. As Steve Clifford said after the Magic’s loss to the Bucks, he was less concerned with the team’s poor shooting than he was with the team’s lack of defensive focus.

The Magic have shown through six games they can play high-level defense. They have not been able to do it consistently yet.

If Orlando wants to experience success, the team needs to double down on its focus defensively before anything else.