Orlando Magic miss Nikola Vucevic’s attention to detail most of all

Nikola Vucevic continues to make progress returning from his ankle injury. On the court, it is clear how much the Orlando Magic miss his attention to detail.

Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford was upset with his team following their 110-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. Less upset perhaps, than disappointed.

His team had the tools to complete an 18-point comeback against the best team in the Eastern Conference and let it slip through their fingers. They did so by not doing the things the team has to hang its hat on. The details that matter for their defense — proper rotations, finishing possessions with rebounds and moving the ball.

Ultimately, he wants his team to be able to compete with teams like the Bucks — the 22-3 behemoth that has now won 15 games in a row. When the Magic get to the playoffs, they will have to compete with teams like the Bucks.

And something is missing. Something big.

On the bench, the Magic’s All-Star is still sitting in street clothes, making progress as he returns from a lateral sprain in his right ankle. It is for games like this when the margin for error narrows that Orlando misses the consistency on both ends they get from Nikola Vucevic.

For all his flaws and weaknesses, Nikola Vucevic better understands everything this offense and defense calls for and helps lock so much of the team into place correctly. He makes the team better.

And as Orlando seeks a “resume win” to bolster the team’s confidence, it is clear Vucevic is a difference-maker for the team.

So while the Magic showed plenty of fight once again and did plenty of things well enough to win. It all was not enough. The sum of the parts did not equal a whole.

Sure, the Magic scored more fast-break points than the Bucks (25-13) and converted 15 turnovers into 22 points. Those are the usual strengths for the Bucks to bury opponents. Orlando did plenty well. The game was encouraging on that front. . . except for the result.

There is still that little bit missing. Orlando was able to stay close enough to keep the game tight, but not enough to win it. The Magic were not quite who they want to be. And the biggest issues were self-inflicted.

Clifford said after the game he was disappointed with the team’s physicality yet again. He pointed out the team’s rebounding as a problem the last few games, a problem he has repeatedly pointed to throughout the season.

Milwaukee grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, scoring 16 second-chance points. The Bucks had a 26.0-percent offensive rebound rate, far above the team’s average of 24.5-percent offensive rebound rate, the fourth-best mark in the league.

Clifford is not disputing those numbers, but he looks deeper into the tape. There are big moments where the Magic give up offensive rebounds and he points to an overall physicality the team has lacked for the reason they are not as strong on the glass.

The offense too has struggled to keep itself moving. Despite some encouraging games, the Magic are isolating a lot more and relying less on passing to score. Against elite defenses like the Bucks, that led to problems. The Magic got open shots but missed them. There were still moments they found it difficult to get the offense loose.

Everyone was searching for a way to get things moving. Markelle Fultz‘s ability to drive the lane and push the pace helps, but he is still learning how to distribute off his drives more consistently. The Magic are not quite ready to turn everything over to him.

That hesitancy is part and parcel to a team missing its best player. All of these issues — the rebounding, the passing and the shooting — are all issues Vucevic helps correct.

Regardless of the Magic’s 5-4 record and how they have kept themselves afloat these last few weeks, the Magic know they still need their best player. They were asked about whether the offense is better without Vucevic and they all demurred.

Clifford, when asked about it after the win over the Phoenix Suns, said the team has had to rely more on isolation play and working more off the dribble. They know that is not a formula for success.

Neither is the rebounding.

Khem Birch has not been terrible as a starter. But his impact has certainly been a bit more muted since he entered the lineup. Khem Birch is averaging 4.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in the nine games since Vucevic’s injury.

Those raw numbers seem fine. But Birch has only a 17.4-percent defensive rebound rate. Vucevic had a 30.7-percent defensive rebound rate before his injury. That is a pretty significant drop-off. And a pretty key piece of the Magic’s defense attack that is missing, or at least inconsistent.

A big part of the Magic’s defensive success is in securing the glass. While players like Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon have improved their rebounding, they are not the dominant rebounders to secure possessions and finish defensive possessions off.

Birch, despite his shot-blocking, has not had a significant impact on the defense either.

The Magic have a 107.1 defensive rating with Birch on the floor in the last nine games, three points per 100 possessions better than the team’s overall average in that time. Orlando has a 76.3-percent defensive rebound rate with Birch on the floor.

The Magic have a 103.5 defensive rating with Vucevic on the floor this year with a 79.1-percent defensive rebound rate.

Offensively, it is easy to see how Vucevic keeps things working with his shot-making and passing. Defensively, it is his discipline and rebounding that make the Magic work a whole lot better.

Against these elite teams like the Bucks, the attention to detail matters a whole lot more. Giving up that one extra rebound is enough to change momentum defensively.

Orlando needs his consistency and solid play back on the floor if the team wants to start winning these meaningful games.

The good news then is that Vucevic is making some progress in his return. He told reporters in Milwaukee he has started running and doing some light court work. There is still soreness, but he is making progress.

It likely means he will not play before the team heads out on their West Coast road trip. That original timeline that he would be back around Christmas appears to be right on.

The team remains keeping the ship steady until then. Orlando has performed admirably and taken care of its business when it has had the opportunity. The Magic are still in the playoff race and still in control of that final playoff spot at this point in the season.

Orlando very clearly needs Vucevic back in the lineup. He helps complete this team in a lot of ways.

Orlando is not in the moral victory business anymore. The Magic need to start winning these games. And they have to find a way to do so without their best player at least for a little while longer.

It is those final details that matter most though for the Magic. The difference between fighting and competing with a team as good as the Bucks and falling short.

And this is where the Magic miss Vucevic most of all.