The Orlando Magic finally have a win on the left side of the column.
A large part of the win has to go to veteran swingman Terrence Ross as he scored all of his 22 points in the fourth quarter of a back and forth game inside of Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. A very crucial moment for a young team who refused to start the 2022 season 0-3.
The Orlando Magic took a stand and made good on their promise in stealing the win from the likely playoff-bound New York Knicks. As Cole Anthony said after the game, this was something that showed the Magic can be a solid team and now it is about building off the foundation they built in the win.
The how is the important part in building that consistency.
The Orlando Magic have begun building consistency as players start to understand their roles. Success should follow from there.
This is the type of desperation this young Magic team needs to play with the entire year if they plan on making a Playoff run in this year’s loaded Eastern Conference. It is also the way the Magic need to dominate the boards in order to limit possessions against opponents.
The Magic outrebounded the Knicks 57 to 52 and got an unpredictable contribution on the boards from the smallest player on the court. Anthony grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and scored a team-high 29 points, adding eight assists as well.
It was a team effort to finally lock down the glass, a struggle for the team in their first two games. Anthony diving in to mix it up with the post presence of Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson to grab rebounds was a big part of the energy the team needed to pull out the win.
More than that, Anthony set the tone for the game. He scored 15 points in the first quarter, aggressively attacking the basket and looking for his shots. He was a critical piece for the Magic team trying to build confidence.
Even though his scoring slowed down, he was still important in drawing in the defense and keeping the Magic offense moving. He made 9 of 16 shots and darted in and out of the defense to find teammates. He helped kick the ball ahead effectively too, setting up the Magic’s transition and pace-based offense.
It was like everything clicking into place for the team after struggling through the first two games.
The players have started to understand their roles within the team atmosphere and need to continue playing with a sense of urgency to establish a certain style of play.
This new style of basketball is more guard-centric and relies on great perimeter shooting instead of an inside-outside game with former Magic player Nikola Vucevic.
The ball is in Anthony’s hands a lot more this year. There were some issues with that in the first two games as the Magic struggled to get going. Anthony struggled with his shots and turnovers.
It all came to fruition after a close win against the Knicks. The Magic had an increased level of confidence going into this matchup.
The Magic came in believing they could beat the Knicks at home although they were undefeated before the loss. And especially after a 25-point loss to the Knicks in their home opener the game before.
This is a great sign for things to come for one of the youngest teams in the NBA, led by one of the youngest point guards. This win gives fans a blueprint of how the Magic need to go about winning this year and getting the young guys involved is the best way.
Players like Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter are going to have to be role players on this particular Orlando team. But both teammates played their role by contributing with 11 points each in Sunday’s win.
Rookie forward Franz Wagner and center Mo Bamba will have to play a particular role as well and they did well against the Knicks as they both contributed with 10 points. Bamba has proven to be a solid shot-blocker (although he did not record a block in Sunday’s game) and rim protector in addition to an improving rebounder with back-to-back double-doubles.
Wagner is showing how much he can fit in with his cutting ability and his defense. Wagner has shined in his role and found pockets to score and keep the ball moving.
The team is still clearly growing. And they will have to learn consistency.
Players will have to get comfortable in their roles and trust in each other as they move forward into the season. There will be bumps and bruises on the way up and the players have to understand that in order to get to where they want they will need to continue to use the same formula and gain more continuity within the organization.
Anthony had his first career double-double and was only two assists from a triple-double. He also added a steal and only turned the ball over once during the game.
Anthony may not be able to keep up his dominant scoring and rebounding prowess against some of the better teams in the NBA, but he should be able to get his other younger teammates the ball consistently throughout the season.
But what mattered is the Magic found someone to propel the team and guide them. After a shaky start to the season, the Magic were the aggressive one throughout Sunday’s game. And that attitude was important.
Whether it is Anthony driving the bus or someone else, Orlando needs someone pushing the team and giving them energy. They need a guard to understand this role and help guide the team. Everyone else will fall into place with their role when the team has that effective leader attacking.