Orlando Magic Daily
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10 observations from the Orlando Magic’s first 10 games

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Aaron Gordon and the Orlando Magic have gotten off to a slow start this season. But there are signs of hope and concern. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Aaron Gordon and the Orlando Magic have gotten off to a slow start this season. But there are signs of hope and concern. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, Delon Wright
Jonathan Isaac is always lurking defensively. And he is making the biggest difference for this team. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2. The defense is potentially elite

The strength for the Orlando Magic in the early part of the season has undoubtedly been their defense. As much as the Magic have struggled to score, their defense has done some incredible work to keep the team in the game.

This was what everyone promised this team’s identity would be after the Magic finished eighth in defensive rating to finish last season. With Jeff Weltman and John Hammond’s philosophy of finding defensive-minded, versatile, long wings, there was no reason why this team could not be really good on defense.

The early season numbers are bearing this out.

The Magic rank fifth in the league in defensive rating, giving up 101.1 points per 100 possessions. They are sixth in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (32.3 percent), second in blocks per game (7.2) and eighth in steals per game (8.4).

The Magic had back-to-back games of 10 blocks and 10 steals for the first time in franchise history. They are accumulating plenty of strong defensive numbers.

Jonathan Isaac should get consideration for the All-Defensive team in this early part of the season, a monumental growth for him and part of his overall breakout this early part of the season.

But really, the team has stead firm to its defensive principles form last year. They have crowded ball handlers and used their length to disrupt passing lanes. Not to mention challenge shots at the rim. Teams have had a tough time getting around the Magic’s overall length.

That philosophy certainly seems to have worked. And the results are really promising.

It is still a bit precarious. The Orlando Magic struggled mightily in pick-and-roll coverage against the Indiana Pacers. Their transition defense still needs work — in this case, their offense is their biggest defensive weakness — and they have to remain attentive on the glass. This team can still fall back into old habits.

But those poor defensive efforts are rarer and rarer these days. The defense is something Orlando can hang its hat on every night. And the team can expect an almost elite effort every night.