Finishing improvement is the next stage of Orlando Magic’s development

Heading into the season, it was widely expected the Orlando Magic would be one of a handful of teams who could be ruled out of the playoff race pretty early on — something that has proven to be accurate.

The team currently sits second from the bottom of the Eastern Conference with just five wins from 29 games. They have, for the large part, looked extremely poor.

The early stages after a team opts to go down a full rebuilding path are never fun. This season is meant to be about development and growth from young players as they continue to add talent and form their team.

There have at least been some enjoyable moments.

Franz Wagner has added a new dynamic to the team and Cole Anthony’s leap has created a lot of optimism about what he can eventually become.

But the Magic have to keep pushing forward and show clear signs of development if the project Jeff Weltman has started is to be a success, and there are some key areas where the team must do better during the remainder of the season.

One of these is the team’s finishing at the rim.

The Orlando Magic have struggled with finishing this season, and improvement in this area must form a key focus of the team’s development during the rest of the season.

The stats do not make for good reading. According to NBA.com, the Magic rank dead last for field goal percentage on drives — making just 42.8-percent of these attempts according to NBA.com’s tracking data.

This is not necessarily a dictator of success, with the high-flying Phoenix Suns only ranking fourth from bottom. But the Magic do not have anywhere near the level of shot creation and shooting from the perimeter and mid-range the Suns do. Orlando is a team that has to be efficient and take advantage of these shots in the paint and near the rim.

The points scored off drives does not look bad on the surface. Orlando scores 23.9 points per game from attempts on drives which ranks 13th in the entire NBA.

But the fact is that while the Magic are driving a lot (their 44.4 drives per game ranks in the middle of the league), which is resulting in points, they are simply wasting too many possessions due to poor finishing and decision making.

From attempts taken less than five feet away from the basket this season, the Magic are shooting at a rate of just 58.0-percent which 27th in the entire league. They take 28.8 such attempts per game, the 14th-most in the league.

From shots taken between five and nine feet away from the basket, the team is 29th making only 32.9-percent of these shots

In truth, the Magic have struggled to score from all over the court. But for a young team it is about getting the basics right first, and finishing more opportunities at the rim would see a significant uptake in the team’s scoring.

Notably within five feet, the Magic have their three most frequent shooters shooting worse than the team’s overall average. Cole Anthony has made 51.1-percent of his shots within five feet on 4.0 attempts per game. Jalen Suggs had notable struggles at the rim, making only 51.7-percent of his shots on 4.2 field goal attempts.

Franz Wagner has even had some issues despite some of his flourishing finishes, making only 54.1-percent of his shots within five feet on a team-leading 5.5 attempts per game.

In that 5-9 foot range, Wagner’s percentage drops to 34.3-percent on 2.3 attempts per game. Cole Anthony makes only 35.7-percent of his attempts on 1.8 attempts per game.

These are a lot of good opportunities left on the board for a Magic team that struggles to score consistently.

Some of Orlando’s finishing struggles can simply be put down to the youthfulness of the team.

Young players are still learning how to score against experienced NBA players. Both poor finishing and decision-making are two elements that come with having such a young team.

Take the recent defeat to the Atlanta Hawks as an example. The Magic struggled to deal with the presence of Clint Capela in the paint and were forced into tough finishes which the team simply did not have the ability to take.

As the team’s young players improve, so will their finishing. As Cole Anthony has already shown with his strides forward in his finishing since the start of last season — and, of note, Anthony made only 49.7-percent of his field-goal attempts within five feet on 3.5 field goal attempts per game.

But the awful shooting percentage on drives to the rim is also a symptom of a wider lack of shot creation on the team.

The Magic have very few guys who can create space and their own shot, meaning players are often resorting to drives and low percentage attempted finishes while under a lot of pressure from the opposing defense.

There are far too many occasions where a Magic player will drive into plenty of traffic and chuck the ball up in hope.

The team’s lack of offensive creation is a big contributor, and often it looks as though they are simply trying to beat the shot clock rather than having a clear plan for generating a good look.

Markelle Fultz’s return, and his ability to make tough finishes through contact, could help matters and will open up new avenues for the team on offense. In 2020, Fultz made 60.5-percent of his shots within five feet and shot 48.5-percent on 4.8 drives per game.

But for right now, coach Jamahl Mosley and the coaching staff must put plenty of emphasis on improving the team’s finishing and decision making on drives in order to improve an offense which has so far offered little to be excited about.