Orlando Magic Daily
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Three areas of concern from the Orlando Magic’s homestand

By Luke Duffy

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 21: Head Coach Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic reacts during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on October 21, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 21: Head Coach Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic reacts during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on October 21, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball as Dennis Smith Jr. of the Charlotte Hornets defends (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

3. Scoring is not equating to winning

With the roster the Orlando Magic have, it looks like building a solid defensive base will be their identity as this group improves together.

Yet it is undeniable both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have excellent offensive games already. Banchero leads all rookies in points per game (23.5). While Wagner’s cutting and movement have gone up a level so far this season.

As hard as it may be to believe, the Magic have actually led the entire NBA in scoring since their homestand began. Their 126.7 points per contest is way ahead of the Boston Celtics in third place, who have averaged 121.7. Mosley has to be thrilled by this, especially given the Magic rank 19th in offensive rating (110.3) on the season as a whole.

But where this becomes a negative is the inescapable fact that piling up points on the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets did not lead to wins.

The Magic have had literally the highest scoring output in the league over the course of their last three games and it has led to a single win. In that win against the Warriors, they had to come back from 16 points down to carve out a one-point victory.

Orlando Magic lacking defensive identity as losses pile up. light. More

Showing heart to do this is excellent. But the team should not have gotten down that bad in the first place. Most worrying of all though is that there is no way the Magic will be able to continue this offensive output for the rest of the season.

The “easy” part of the homestand is also in the rearview mirror. The remainder of their home games will be against the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns and Mavericks boast two of the top five defensive ratings in the league, while the Timberwolves are league-average and have Rudy Gobert in their ranks.

So the scoring is sure to come down, and what will happen then? If putting up huge scores did not lead to winning against lesser teams, how can they hope to pick up more wins for the rest of this homestand and beyond?