The Orlando Magic’s loss to the Houston Rockets last Monday may well have been a turning point for a young team.
The Orlando Magic, riding high after a win over the Golden State Warriors to open their seven-game homestand and frustrated but encouraged after a buzzer-beating loss to the Sacramento Kings, did not come into the game with the struggling Houston Rockets with the right attitude and focus.
Sure, the Magic scored a ton of points, but they let the Rockets get confident from three and found themselves in a track meet. It was a low point for a team that is trying to build its defensive identity.
The team though did not wallow in it. With two tough defensive assignments incoming with Luka Doncic and Devin Booker, the team turned in two of its best defensive performances of the season (they comprise the top three along with the win over the Charlotte Hornets from early in the season).
The details that were seemingly missing from previous games have suddenly come together. It is all an encouraging sign.
The Orlando Magic’s defense is starting to come together with back-to-back strong performances. The team can thank its strong rebounding for helping boost the team.
What details are the Magic getting down?
It is not merely just the game plan and how the Magic locked up those two star players they faced. Orlando is increasingly proving itself to be a strong rebounding team, although this too is an area where the team can continue to work and improve.
This season, the Magic are seventh in the league in defensive rebound rate, grabbing 73.7 percent of available defensive rebounds. Orlando has a big lineup with Bol Bol, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter all sharing the floor, it would make sense for the team to be solid on the glass.
But it is impressive nonetheless because of the amount of switching the team does. Orlando’s top rebounder — Carter at 9.5 rebounds per game — is often drawn outside the paint to defend on the perimeter.
Rebounding has had to be a team effort overall.
"“The concentration level, making sure that we are hitting guys and making sure we box out,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Saturday. “Obviously, in that first quarter, [the Phoenix Suns] got a ton of offensive rebounds. But our ability to concentrate and lock in on finishing possessions out.”"
Orlando started the game Friday giving up five offensive rebounds in the first quarter. The team though gave up only two second-chance points. The Suns finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds total — and just six second-chance points overall.
Offensive rebounds are up generally throughout the league — a byproduct of the switching and teams seeking hidden points as that pendulum is starting to swing back the other way. But the Magic have been especially good at recovering when they do give up offensive rebounds, as backbreaking as they can be in the moment.
The team’s reliance on switching has created some weakness on the glass this year. Orlando has had long stretches where the team gives up offensive rebounds. But that problem has been decreasing as the season has progressed.
Orlando is giving up just 12.3 second-chance points per game, fourth in the league. That is as likely a testament to the size the team presents so that even when the team does give up offensive rebounds, they are tough to go back up against.
Still, rebounding will remain a continued emphasis for this team.
The Orlando Magic’s worst rebounding games were their three worst losses — the blowout loss to the New York Knicks, the frustrating defeat at home to the Houston Rockets and the uneven game in Cleveland against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The loss to the Knicks and Cavaliers also saw the Magic give up the most second-chance points of the season (27 to the Knicks and 19 to the Cavaliers). The opening night loss to the Detroit Pistons was also notable for the second-chance points the team gave up.
At times, it feels it is not the raw number of points the team gives up but when those offensive rebounds come — Jalen Duren especially was active on the glass in keeping the Magic at bay in that opener.
Of note then too, the Magic’s two games with the fewest second-chance points allowed were this week’s wins over the Mavericks and Suns.
The Magic have done a better job locking in and attacking the glass, limiting what was an early-season struggle. And this will continue to be a point of emphasis for the team. Nothing seems permanent with this team as they still work to establish their identity.
The Magic are still learning to play better defense. But things are starting to pull together. Their solid rebounding and even their defense after offensive rebounds provide some hope things are starting to pull together.
After that loss to Houston, Orlando is playing a lot better.
"“I feel like we have been getting better defensively as a team,” Bol Bol said after practice Saturday. “I feel like we’ve been trusting each other more on the help side and sitting down on help and low man and all that. I feel like we’ve been trusting each other more and that has helped us get better on defense.”"
The Magic are still an imperfect team. Nobody should be confusing this team with a juggernaut quite yet — the team ranks 21st in defensive rating still. And the team still gets in its own way a lot — turnovers especially where the Magic rank 29th in the league in turnover rate.
The turnovers might be the biggest impediment to the Magic’s defensive success — teams score 20.2 points off turnovers per game against them.
Orlando will need to continue to be a strong rebounding team. And when the team does make mistakes, the team will need to continue to limit those mistakes as they have.