Orlando Magic: 5 Preseason Overreactions to Avoid
The Magic will balance their rotation
The biggest thing coach Steve Clifford has lamented throughout the preseason is the team’s struggles when they break their starting lineup.
The Magic’s starting group featuring Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, Evan Fournier and D.J. Augustin has looked largely strong. They swarm defensively and they have a pace to their offense that is solid. Many of the team’s issues in that grouping might still be from preseason playcalling and shot distribution.
Orlando was very clearly not running at full speed yet. And that is OK. It is the preseason.
Clifford’s concern was largely about what happened when the starters went to the bench. And he has plenty of reason to think so. The Magic were mediocre at best.
Yes, it was the bench group that charged a 22-4 run in the preseason opener against the San Antonio Spurs. And it was that group that had a similar run to defeat the Detroit Pistons. Terrence Ross and the bench group held off a run from the Atlanta Hawks’ starters from retaking the lead in the fourth quarter.
This group can certainly play. But Clifford would note that much of that success came built off the defense. He was not thrilled with the team’s overall half-court execution. Really from anyone. But that lack of execution was starker with the second unit.
Orlando Magic
This team has more depth and talent than it had last year. But the combinations the team uses will have to be carefully picked out.
Orlando went with almost platoon swapping during the preseason. The team often broke the lineup to run second units with Michael Carter-Williams, Markelle Fultz, Terrence Ross, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba. Eventually, Al-Farouq Aminu would replace Jonathan Isaac.
That team’s offense should have a bit more heft — and, its defense was predictably strong for long stretches to generate some fast-break opportunities especially with Markelle Fultz attacking. But these are not lineups the team will use.
The Magic’s preseason rotation was not the rotation the team will run during the regular season. Clifford said he is still pinpointing how he wants to break down the rotation. That will take some experimenting through the first set of games.
But what ended up working last year was splitting starters into the entire lineup. The Magic ran lineups with Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier through the second and fourth quarters to boost the bench lineup. A player like Al-Farouq Aminu who can play with the starters and maintain the team’s defensive intensity is going to be valuable in that respect.
Orlando will break its lineups very differently in the regular season than it did in the preseason.