Orlando Magic fighting for consistency at critical growing point in season

The Orlando Magic are still discovering who they are and what their identity will be. It is in this stretch of the season where that must solidify.

The Orlando Magic have been through this before. The solid start that gives way to a bit of a fall. Figuring out how to stop these falls has been at the center of the team’s struggles to break through for much of the last four or five season.

It was three seasons ago when the team’s 19-13 start gave way to a two-win January and the team’s quick descent from fourth in the East to well out of the Playoffs — and swinging blindly to save it.

It was last year when the Magic started 8-4 and then lost 20 of the next 23 to fall completely into irrelevance. Orlando has struggled in the last six years to halt losing streaks and maintain whatever momentum they have.

This year did not see Orlando get off to a blistering start. Instead, it was some wild play but generally a team that always finds its level that has characterized the team. It is a team that has taken one step forward and two steps back, then two steps forward and one step back.

That has not put the Magic in the driver’s seat. Their own struggles have left them chasing the final Playoff spot. But the Eastern Conference has been very forgiving.

The Magic’s schedule has not been. And it remains tough.

But beyond that, this is the point of the season where teams begin to settle into their identities and who they are. It is where the standings begin to stratify themselves.

More importantly, it is where the newness of the season is shed and the grind begins. The teams that can manage the highs and lows of the season are the ones that find success — in whatever form they come. And that is the biggest challenge facing the Magic.

"“This is Game 20-40, which we have stumbled here a little bit and we have enough time to come back,” coach Steve Clifford said before Wednesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. “But to me the first 20 games everybody plays hard. Everybody is ready. There is the newness. 20-40 is where they start to separate. The serious teams with the serious players, the team game comes to the front.”"

It is safe to say the newness for the Magic has worn off some. The team is struggling to find consistent “organization” or attention to detail consistently. Orlando is looking for its level.

For those that have been part of the team for a while know how vital this stage of the season can be.

Last year, the Magic went 4-17 in this critical 20-game stretch. In 2017, Orlando went 9-12 in that stretch. And in 2016, the Magic were also 9-12 as their fall had begun toward the end of this stretch.

Really, every stretch of the season is a chance to separate yourself. And it is far easier to slip down the standings than it is to maintain your position.

Orlando is the kind of team that knows it has to be attentive every game. And so far in this stretch, that has been the part the team has lacked.

"“When we lock in, we can play with anybody in this league,” Jonathon Simmons said after Friday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. “But we have to lock in every night. We can’t have any slippage.”"

The pair of games this past week at home is a good sign of that.

Orlando’s offense awoke for the first time in several weeks, scoring 100 points for the first time in seven games, against a poor Phoenix team. But the team’s defense was poor on pick and rolls throughout the evening. The Suns won the game in overtime, seeming to send the Magic to a low point.

As if to respond to that, Orlando blew out league-best Toronto in its next outing. That shows the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this team. But their potential to beat anyone on any given night.

"“It definitely tells us we don’t like to lose,” Aaron Gordon said after the win over the Raptors. “We definitely had a bad taste in our mouth after that last loss. We showed up tonight. We can’t get too high or get too low. We have to bring it again.”"

That is the big challenge now. Orlando is 6-9 since the team reached Game 20. That is far from a disaster and will keep the team in the race.

But obviously, Orlando is losing some ground. The Orlando Magic have fallen out of the Playoff pole position and now sit 1.5 games back of the Detroit Pistons for the final spot.

The Pistons just so happen to be the team coming in next to the Amway Center to close out the four-game homestand — and kick off a busy six-game, 10-day road trip. Orlando will be playing games with plenty of meaning as they continue to try to stay in the Playoff race and survive a rough first half to the season.

Orlando Magic

The Magic know they control a lot of their destiny with their attention to detail and execution. They have continually shown they have enough talent to compete with about every team in the league. It is truly about consistency.

And so how the Magic separate themselves now will be about how they identify their strengths and cover for their weaknesses. In this stretch where teams harden their identities, Clifford will have the biggest task of his season.

"“Every team has strengths and weaknesses — be it is offense and defense, finding a way to play balanced basketball — my job is to sell to them and help them play that way every night,” Clifford said. “We don’t do it every night yet. That has to be a lot my responsibility and then, to me, it’s the better players on the team. Because when we are right, we have the right focus on what to do. We may not have a lot of room for error, but we have played a lot of games where you can watch and say that’s a good team. The challenge is doing it every night against the best players in the world. That’s what we haven’t been as good at yet.”"

Steve Clifford said the team clearly needs Nikola Vucevic playing well to have a chance to win on most nights. Nikola Vucevic has been a revelation this year, averaging 20.5 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game while ranking among the leaders in assists among centers. His 30-point, 20-rebound, eight-assist effort against Toronto put him in truly elite company.

Vucevic’s All-Star buzz is very real if the team can stay in the Playoff hunt. And his strong play is vital to the Magic’s success.

But the team also will lean on its star players performing better. Evan Fournier has started to round toward his mean after struggling with his shot to start the season. Aaron Gordon has not had the same scoring numbers as last year, but he has improved his defense.

The biggest concern for the team on a night-to-night basis is the bench. Orlando has had one of the worst benches in the league in scoring efficiency. Steve Clifford’s decision to mix up the rotation and have Jonathon Simmons play backup point guard was a bold move that panned out in the first game.

It was a big adjustment for Clifford to make as he seeks consistency.

The Magic know there are more challenges ahead. Their upcoming road trip is a doozy that will touch every time zone in the continental United States. If the Magic can emerge from that unscathed, they will face one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league.

Right now, it feels the team is just looking to survive this stretch.

The only thing that might derail things is injuries. Orlando has had some good injury luck with Jonathan Isaac as the only player who has missed extended time.

The Magic really do have a lot of their success in their own hands. They have to manage the highs and lows of the season. And discover who they are.

Their statistical profile is still a work in progress — 27th in offensive rating and 13th in defensive rating. The Magic are still figuring out how to be the best version of themselves and to do that consistently. They have shown this ability in flashes.

"“We may not have a lot of room for error, but we can still play good basketball,” Clifford said. “But we need everyone healthy, we need to be right and we need everyone doing the right things.”"

There is still clearly a lot of work to do. And the Magic are still finding out what kind of team they are and will be.

It is in this stretch where the Magic will find their way and find their level.