How the Orlando Magic replicate their 5 best lineups of 2021
Orlando Magic’s top lineups of 2021
Chasson Randle/R.J. Hampton/Sindarius Thorwnwell/Ignas Brazdeikis/Donta Hall
+4.6 net rating (94.1 Off Rtg./89.4 Def Rtg.), 4 games, 48 minutes
The Orlando Magic were scraping the bottom of the barrel as their season came to a close last year. They picked up a ton of players on 10-day contracts and from the G-League, manipulating their two-way contracts to file a roster.
To their credit, these players made at least a moderate impact. There were a few to get excited about, even if they did not have long-term futures with the team.
Of the players in this lineup, only R.J. Hampton and Ignas Brazdeikis remain on the roster. And Brazdeikis is on a two-way contract.
So what to make of a lineup like this? It clearly does not have a lot of offensive force. The numbers back that up too. There are no clear scorers or offensive weapons on the team. Brazdeikis was a brilliant scorer in his short stint with the Magic last year, but that was a lot of necessity.
This group really thrived on defense. They had the ability to switch every position and solid length throughout.
Hampton especially has seemingly endless potential as a wing defender because of his positional versatility. He just has to show commitment and discipline on that end. The Magic seem to be priming him for that role and want him to discover his defensive potential.
The way this lineup shakes out, it looks like an all chaos lineup.
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Most of the players are good defenders willing to get into their man. If anything, this is the kind of lineup that would preview the way coach Jamahl Mosley wants his team to play defensively.
So the way Orlando mimics this lineup is by throwing out its lineups that can cause the most chaos defensively. And, by that nature, it means throwing out some players who can defend a bit.
At this point, Jalen Suggs might be the best potential defender at the point guard spot. There is a lot of hope that Suggs can be a dynamic and versatile defender. He certainly fits the profile of players the Magic like defensively.
Gary Harris might be the team’s most solid defensive guard at this point. He is not exactly creating chaos, but Harris has carved his career even through all his injuries thanks to his defensive acumen.
R.J. Hampton probably holds over as a strong, chaotic defender. But Orlando could easily slot in Franz Wagner, a player drafted for his defense.
Jonathan Isaac and his defensive potential go without saying. He is an All-Defensive caliber player when he is fully healthy.
And Mohamed Bamba is a potentially strong defender who can block shots and rim run on both ends. The Magic have a solid defensive player, but this is about chaos. And Bamba can make the big defensive plays that energize a team.
Like the shooting lineup, Orlando could easily create a defensive chaos lineup of scrappers who are not as interested in scoring as they are creating havoc and making opponents’ lives hard.