Orlando Magic’s defense, rebounding and effort is slipping

The Orlando Magic saw repeated problems and breakdowns throughout their 125-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Trae Young or Dejounte Murray would get downhill into the paint and cause the big to step up in help. That left John Collins or Clint Capela unguarded at the basket. And it became the Hawks picking how they wanted to beat up the Magic.

There were lobs to the big men and dump-downs. Or simply shots from everywhere that left Clint Capela, Onyeka Okongwu or John Collins open underneath to get rebounds. Or the Hawks just outfought the Magic to every loose ball and every opportunity to get an advantage.

Wednesday was not the first time the Magic struggled with their interior defense. Nor was it the first time they struggled on the offensive glass. But the stats were glaring.

The Orlando Magic’s defense and especially its rebounding has slipped considerably in the last few weeks leading to bigger questions about the team’s focus and effort.

Atlanta grabbed 14 offensive rebounds for 20 second-chance points. Capela had five offensive rebounds and Okongwu added four. That added to the Hawks shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and living in the paint.

"“Any time you give a team like that second chances, it’s demoralizing because a lot of times it’s a make or a foul or some type of points and it’s more you’ve got to defend for longer,” Paolo Banchero said after Wednesday’s loss. “You want to limit those opportunities for them and we didn’t do a very good job of that today.”"

It was a defensive breakdown on almost every level. And one that has been lasting for some time now.

The team’s defensive communication has been spotty all year. And the team’s constantly shifting rotations and injury issues have played a role too in holding the defense down.

But a downturn has clearly taken hold since Wendell Carter left the lineup. That is a clear dividing point.

Before Carter’s injury on Nov. 16, the Magic ranked 21st in defensive rating (112.7 points allowed per 100 possessions) and ninth in defensive rebound rate (73.0 percent). Since Carter’s injury, the Magic are 28th in defensive rating (120.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) and 23rd in defensive rebound rate (69.8 percent).

The Magic were sixth in opponent’s second chance points at 12.7 per game before Carter’s injury and 27th since Carter’s injury at 15.9 per game.

The Magic have lots of defensive issues. But they have been clearly made worse in the last eight games (where the only win is the one game Carter played).

"“I think it falls down to effort and focus,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Wednesday’s loss. “Regardless of whether Wendell is in the game, there is a level of finding a man, putting a body on him, boxing out and going to get the rebound. You can’t be watching the ball go up and not hitting someone when the ball goes up. It’s effort and focus.”"

Things seem to be going back to that basic tenet. Rebounding has just been a major issue.

And there is no relief in sight with Wendell Carter telling Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel he is likely another week or two away as he recovers from a plantar fascia strain.

Wendell Carter leads the team with 9.1 rebounds per game, followed by Bol Bol (7.8 per game) and Paolo Banchero (6.8 per game). Only one other player is averaging more than 5.0 rebounds per game (Moe Wagner at 5.5 per game).

Since Carter’s injury, Bol has rebounded better at 8.1 per game. But there is a lot of disappointment. Mo Bamba has 5.3 rebounds per game which is more than his season average but still disappointing for a starting center.

And then there is Banchero, who is averaging just 2.8 rebounds per game since he returned from his ankle injury. A disappointing number form a player in a position that needs to step up to make up for such an important player’s absence.

"“We’ve got to find bodies and box out, me included,” Banchero said after Wednesday’s game. “I’ve been pretty bad on the boards. I wouldn’t even say it’s because I’m out of position, the ball is just not falling my way. I’ve got to do the extra work to get those boards and stop giving up offensive rebounds. But I think it’s a team effort and we’ve got to lock in on it.”"

That notion probably gets to the heart of many of the Magic’s defensive issues.

It is still about learning how to lock in for a full 48 minutes and for all 82 games. That is at the heart of the team’s problems throughout the season. the Magic have had some noticeable lapses defensively throughout the season.

For the most part, the team has been able to play through them. Part of what the Magic want to learn this season is to reduce these mistakes but also to minimize them and grind through them until they can right the ship.

Cole Anthony observed both in his return game Wednesday but also recently the team can tend to sulk, allowing mistakes to multiply. This is exactly what the team is trying to learn not to do. And there is a bit of a lapse in this process.

It is something everyone acknowledges young teams go through.

"“We all talk about it, we can’t get too high, we can’t get too low,” Markelle Fultz said after Wednesday’s game. “But we have to start competing smart. I feel like we all give great effort, but it’s about competing the right way and understanding what we have to do to be locked in for the whole game. That’s all it’s going to take. That’s my goal is to be a vocal leader and now that I’m out there even more to lead by example. But to keep talking to these guys until it clicks.”"

On one hand, then, the team sees some of these struggles as part of the growing process. There is a re-integration that has to happen as players return from injury.

On the other hand, effort, intensity and focus should not change or waver. There are going to be mistakes made, but the repeated mistakes are a problem for a young team trying to learn how to compete and win consistently.

Orlando has had some pride in playing the third most clutch games this season, albeit at 3-11, but that has gone by the wayside during this particular stretch. Aside from Jalen Suggs’ game-winner against the Chicago Bulls and Franz Wagner’s missed winner in Indianapolis, it is hard to say the Magic have been competitive in recent games.

This might just be a down period for the Magic. One where they have to figure their way out.

"“We understand that it’s a young team and these are going to be bouts that they do go through,” Mosley said after Wednesday’s loss. “In an 82-game season, there are going to be the ups and downs and the ebbs and flows of the season. You wish you could say they are going to play extremely that way for 82 games. There are going to be times where rhythm is going to be off. But we’ve got to continue to grow in our focus and our energy level on a consistent basis.”"

That is what it is going to take. That was the repeated message after Wednesday’s loss. The team has to play with better focus and intensity.

The accountability the team said they were going to have has to come to the front from team leaders like Fultz and Wagner while Carter is out. The Magic have to find a way to stay together and take this vital step forward.

Things have slipped considerably in the last few weeks. It starts on the defensive end, where teams show their greatest grit, determination and effort. This is the thing the magic hoped would never be in question.

But Orlando has to answer these questions now. And the team has to find a way to improve.