Rebounding a key element of Orlando Magic’s focus

The Orlando Magic are still putting their defense together. One thing that must be a part of their building energy is their attack on the boards.

In the opening three games for the Orlando Magic, Aaron Gordon was everywhere.

Hassan Whiteside or Joel Embiid in front of him? It did not matter. Aaron Gordon was going to sky to the glass and compete for the rebound. It did not directly correlate with the Magic’s defense or their intensity. But it was undoubtedly a tangible sign of the team’s energy and renewed commitment defensively.

Gordon was an animal, totaling 38 rebounds in the first three games, including a 16-board effort in the team’s opener. There he was literally outleaping Whiteside for rebounds and fighting with the center for boards, forcing two jump balls.

In the next three games, that rebounding prowess seemed to disappear. For Gordon especially.

He grabbed just 12 rebounds in the next three games as the team seemed to struggle on the glass. Gordon’s 10-rebound effort against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday was a big step forward for the team. His early attack on the glass helped the Magic build a double-digit lead and, in some ways, counteract the team’s struggling offense.

As it is for every team, rebounding is vitally important to complete the defense and find a way to score easy baskets.

"“I think rebounding is more of an effort type area,” coach Steve Clifford said. “To me, the bigger focuses are the detail things. The focus comes in as much on your pick and roll coverages and dribble handoff coverages and then the offense. You have to be much more detail-oriented on offense than you have to be on defense.”"

Rebounding certainly takes a certain amount of attention to detail. It is easy to see how engaged and energetic the Magic are based on their rebounding.

So far this year, Orlando is 12th in the league in defensive rebound rate, grabbing 74.0 percent of available defensive rebounds. Clifford’s teams have rarely been one to attack the offensive glass, so it is no surprise to see them 20th in offensive rebound rate.

Rebounding has not been a complete barometer of success. The Magic are actually rebounding better in their losses. So there is no correlation between the two events.

But it is a sign of the team’s energy and defensive attention to detail. Strong rebounding is a sign of the team’s buy-in to the system.

"“I think it’s much more mentality,” Clifford said. “Understanding how important it is and again the buy-in. That’s the coach’s job. To play five preseason games whether it is preseason or not and be able to rebound the ball as well as we did and then not to come out in the regular season, we haven’t been as aware of it. That’s my responsibility. We’re emphasizing it more. We’re big. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be a better rebounding team.”"

The Magic in the preseason led the league with an 80.6 percent defensive rebound rate. They locked down the defensive glass. It, of course, decreased from there as it was preseason. Orlando has settled in as a good, but not great rebounding team. The group seems to have some strong rebounding traits. But it is still a work in progress.

Rebounding is, of course, an important part of any defense. If the Magic are to have a strong defense, then rebounding is a vital role. A strong defensive possession is meaningless if the team gives up the offensive rebound.

While Orlando’s defense has struggled with consistency — looking strong at moments and frustrating in others to give up 109.6 points per 100 possessions, 18th in the league — rebounding will be a strength when all the pieces come together.

Clifford put a focus on rebounding entering Tuesday’s game, understanding its importance to the team as a whole.

"“It’s something we talk about a lot,” Nikola Vucevic said. “It has been an issue for us. We have to make sure we do a better job of that. We have to do a better job boxing out our guy and take out the guys who are really big and going to the glass. It has to be a team effort and everyone has to come down. Especially nowadays in the NBA with long rebounds and the threes it has to be the guards and everything. It has to be a group effort.”"

Nikola Vucevic has been his typically strong self defensively. He is averaging 10.9 rebounds per game and has his defensive rebound rate up to 28.1 percent. The Magic have always counted on Vucevic on the glass.

Orlando Magic

He still could stand to do better. His contested rebound rate is down slightly to 38.2 percent from 42.6 percent last year, according to NBA.com’s tracking statistics from Second Spectrum. Contested rebound rate tracks the percentage of rebounds he grabs where opposing players are in his vicinity.

Really the rebounding focus comes down to a sign of each individual’s energy. And that is where Gordon seems to stand out more. This is where Gordon’s impact has seemingly changed things.

Gordon is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game. His raw rebounding totals are up, but his defensive rebound rate is down to 20.7 percent. Much of his improved rebounding work has come on the offensive end where his offensive rebound rate has jumped a few percentage points to 6.5 percent.

They are still small numbers in the end, but when he is grabbing rebounds out of his area they are impactful. When Gordon gets a big rebound it is noticeable.

Still, Gordon could do a whole lot better on the glass.

"“A lot of the times you can go out and get them,” Gordon said. “I have to do a better job of rebounding out of my area. Get back to that. Boxing out and using my physicality.”"

Gordon credited his training over the summer for his jump in raw rebounding numbers. But he recognized he still has to use his natural instinct and athleticism to put it all together and make a bigger impact.

For him specifically, rebounding seems to give him some energy and help with his efficiency.

In the games where Gordon has grabbed at least 10 rebounds, he is averaging 17.3 points per game and shooting a 51.9 percent effective field goal percentage. He has had some clunkers offensively in his big rebounding nights. But the rebounding is a way for him to continue affecting the game, even if he is missing.

That is still a lesson a lot of the team can use.

While Clifford’s philosophy focuses on getting back to set up the defense rather than attacking the offensive glass. Rebounding on both ends can be a way for the Magic to sidestep some of their offensive issues overall.

A few easy baskets can obviously help keep possessions alive and score points. And rebounding on the defensive side is the only way for the team to finish off possessions.

Both will be vital for the Magic moving forward and are a must for the team to find success.