Orlando Magic aim to take back control of their defensive production

The Orlando Magic are uncharacteristically struggling on defense right now. As they return home from a frustrating road trip, they aim to get back control.

The Orlando Magic needed to run out their road trip and try to start getting the sour taste of out of their mouth.

Losses to the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets stung especially because of the great chances they had to win — up seven with four minutes left in Utah and up 19 in the third quarter in Denver — but each defeat on the 1-3 trip carried a special frustration for the team.

After landing near 5 a.m. in Orlando on Saturday morning, the team had some jet lag to work through. Evan Fournier, who played a couple of seasons with the Nuggets earlier in his career said the East coast trip heading back West was easier to deal with than the West Coast trip heading back East.

Even coach Steve Clifford would have to admit the first game back from a West Coast trip is usually the most difficult for a team — a preview of a dangerous game Monday at home against the Chicago Bulls.

And so the team needed a spirited and energetic practice to try to get themselves back on track. Even before the West Coast trip things had begun to head off the rails. The team is not playing to its capabilities — certainly on defense. And the results of late — losing six of the past seven — have shown that frustration.

"“We know we can win those games,” Evan Fournier said after practice on Sunday. “We know we can do better. And so we have to do it period. We have to go back to playing with that dog mentality, backs against the wall, being the underdog pretty much every game. That’s when we’re good. We can’t lose track of that. That’s who we are and we just have to do it.”"

Fournier said the Magic have to find that spirit individually. It is on no one else but the players to find that intensity again. That is a big responsibility that will take some major adjustments.

Certainly, the team is struggling with some of the basic tenets that would make this team successful.

On the four-game road trip, the Magic posted a 115.6 defensive rating. That is near the bottom in the league in the last four games. Over their last 15 games, the Magic have a 110.2 defensive rating. For the season, the Magic are 12th in the league with a 107.2 defensive rating.

This slipping on defense is perhaps the biggest concern for the team. The Magic have made their mark on the league defensively more than anywhere. For Orlando to make the playoffs and be the best version of themselves, it will take a focused defensive effort.

That is the kind of effort, precision and discipline the team is missing most right now.

"“We have to get back to understanding how we have to play,” Clifford said after practice Sunday. “I went back last year and watched a couple of our games from late in the year, we played with a ton of discipline. Not so many mistakes, more purposeful play. We understood what he had to do to play well and we’re not doing any of that at all.”"

Clifford said he spoke to the team about some of the experiences from last year when the team went 22-9 to erase a 4.5-game deficit and make the playoffs as the 7-seed. The Magic do appear to have a bit more poise and confidence that they can get things right because of that experience.

But that is not going to solve the problems the team is facing. There are some fundamental struggles defensively right now. But not problems they cannot fix.

Orlando recognizes it has a small margin for error still. These little slips defensively are causing bigger problems.

"“At this point, we have to understand we are in that position at 12-17,” Nikola Vucevic said after practice on Sunday. “We thought we were going to start better. But it is what it is and we have to figure it out. We have to go back to playing the way that worked for us. It has to start with our defense and doing all the little things on that end.”"

Clifford has pointed to the rebounding and physicality from this team throughout the season, even dating back to the preseason.

The Magic are currently sixth in the league in defensive rebound rate at 74.5 percent. But in the last 15 games, Orlando is 16th at 72.7 percent.

That little bit could mean a lot. While the Magic do not give up a ton of offensive rebounds, they are giving up a decent amount of second-chance points. For the entire season, Orlando is ninth in the league giving up 12.4 second-chance points per game. In the last 15 games, the Magic are 18th, giving up 13.3 second-chance points per game.

The bigger problem might still be the team’s shooting and the effect that has had on defense. Orlando prides itself on being able to stop transition opportunities and limit those easy baskets. With the number of misses the Magic have had lately, that gets tougher. But it is not impossible.

But Orlando’s transition defense has been poor nonetheless.

This season, the Magic give up 13.0 fast-break points per game (15th in the league). In the last 15 games, the Magic are giving up 14.4 fast-break points per game, 25th in the league.

Last year, Orlando gave up 12.7 fast-break points per game, ninth in the league. During their 22-9 run, the team gave up 11.5 per game, third in the league.

In other words, the Magic are giving up a whole lot more of these easy opportunities. And that is a big part of why the defense is struggling. That is how runs go from manageable to 15-0 or 24-0 as they did the last two games.

Certainly better scoring and shooting would help. It enables the Magic to get set in the half court better, where their defense is actually playing nearer to their standard. But the missed shots do lead to more fast-break opportunities.

Clifford said he believes the team is letting their poor offense affect their intensity on defense. Everyone agrees this is not a formula for the Magic’s success.

"“Obviously I think as some of us figure it out offensively and start scoring more efficiently, I think it will be easier to get back and get our defense set,” Nikola Vucevic said after practice Sunday. “And you just feel better about yourself as a player. If that’s not happening right away, we have to figure it out to not let it affect our defense.”"

But these are all things Vucevic said the team can turn around quickly. They are things the Magic can control. It does not take a lot of work to improve in these areas. But it indeed takes a more focused and efficient effort.

Fournier said the team needs to start the game with a defensive mindset. That will enable them to play defense even if the offense is not working effectively.

Everything goes hand in hand if the Magic are going to get out of this mini-slump.

"“We have to play better, that’s always what it is,” Clifford said after practice Sunday. “These last 10 games, our defense isn’t close to what it needs to be. I think a lot of it is we’re letting our offense impact our defense. We can’t do that.”"

Orlando knows it can right the ship. There is seemingly no panic or wavering in their resolve. They still sit in eight-place and still are in line to make a playoff push. It is still a bit early in the season to give into panic. Every team will go through their ups and downs.

But the Magic know they control their destiny and it starts on defense.