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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Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks
Aaron Gordon is an improving driver and attacker, but the growing pain for him is the large number of offensive fouls he takes. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

3. The offense will continue to struggle

As good as the Orlando Magic’s defense was to close last year, it was the offensive revival that took the team to new heights. It was because the team started getting out in transition more, picking up its pace and scoring at a better clip that this team started to make its run.

The Magic still finished 22nd in offensive rating for the entirety of last season. And without any big additions to the team, it was tough to foresee the team improving significantly on offense.

Sure, Evan Fournier could and should return to his mean — he largely has, shooting 40.0 percent from beyond the arc and a 55.0 percent effective field goal percentage. It is still early but Fournier has been the Magic’s most reliable and consistent offensive player.

Still, fans have spent a lot of time complaining about Fournier’s penchant for stopping the ball or hunting for his own shot. That is fair, but plenty of other players are guilty of this. The Magic are struggling to keep the ball moving and stay committed to their offense.

It has not helped that the team has been shooting at historic lows to start the season. A lot of players have fallen off even their regular levels. Those players should take a step up as the team plays more games. Everyone will find their medium.

But a few truths have already emerged.

Defenses do not respect the Magic’s shooting. They are packing the paint and forcing the Magic to try to find a way into the lane through dribble penetration. Even then, they are not budging or giving much room.

Everything has been a struggle for Orlando offensively and finding ways to get good flow offensively has been tough.

This is going to be a struggle for the team the entire year. Whether Orlando is going to be able to get quality shots is going to depend on the team’s ability to create turnovers and get out in transition and make shots from the outside.

This was a known weakness for the team entering the season and they have not quite found a way to work around it.