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Orlando Magic: 5 questions for the second quarter of the season

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jonathan Isaac's emergence as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate has boosted the Orlando magic early this season. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
Jonathan Isaac's emergence as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate has boosted the Orlando magic early this season. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers
As defense focus to take away the Orlando Magic’s key weapons, players like Nikola Vucevic need to find ways to make things easier for their teammates. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

When will Nikola Vucevic return?

It felt like the Orlando Magic’s season was toppling down on Nov. 20 in Toronto when Nikola Vucevic went down with a lateral sprain to his right ankle. He needed help walking off the floor and the spoke from which the Magic’s offense turned was out of the lineup.

Orlando had to find its way offensively again. The Magic are running more isolation sets — for the season, the Magic have the fewest isolation plays per game (3.7) according to NBA.com — and relying more heavily on pick and rolls.

The team’s passing is down since Vucevic got hurt. The Magic average 273.7 passes per game (surprisingly 26th in the league) for the season. But it is just 266.9 passes per game since Vucevic’s injury.

While Orlando has found a bit of offense lately as shots have started to fall, it is still clear Vucevic helps the team move. He is still a big part of this team.

There were initial fears that Vucevuc would be out a month after the injury occurred. Some of those were tempered when he updated the media on his status last week. He said he was doing some set shots and work in the pool and zero-gravity treadmill. That would suggest he still has some work to do to get back to full gear.

At some point in the next 20-plus games, Vucevic is expected to return. The question is what condition will the Magic be in when he does. And how quickly the team re-integrates him back into the fold.

Orlando needed some time to rediscover its footing after his injury. But the team has started to put together some encouraging play. The team’s four-game win streak has come against relatively unimpressive opponents, but it does seem like the team is starting to find its footing.

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    • Still, the Magic’s weaknesses are all things Vucevic helps fix.

    Orlando still needs someone who can get the ball moving and get people moving on offense consistently. Vucevic is someone who does that both as a passer and as a screener — the 11.9 points off Vucevic’s screen assists is fourth in the league according to NBA.com.

    Vucevic, for all his apparent weaknesses defensively, still plays a big role defensively for this team. The Magic had a 104.1 defensive rating until Vucevic’s injury, they have had a 106.8 defensive rating since the injury. Orlando gives up 45.0 points in the paint per game (eighth in the league) for the season, but 46.3 per game since the injury (12th in the league since Nov. 21).

    The Magic are still simply better with Vucevic on the floor. Orlando has a team-best +5.6 net rating (109.1 offensive rating/103.5 defensive rating) with Vucevic on the floor.

    There will undoubtedly be some reconfiguring when Vucevic returns to the floor. But the team is eagerly awaiting it. They are still a better team — on both ends — with him. And right now the Magic are merely surviving and pushing through until he returns.