Orlando Magic need to be the aggressors to embrace their identity

It was clear the way this game was going to go very early on.

Just look at the team with the energy and confidence in bringing up the ball. Look at the team that was stepping into shots and shooting confidently. Look at the team that was sure about its movements and where everyone would be.

The Sacramento Kings popped the Orlando Magic in the mouth early with a bulldozing effort. They were turning unsure misses into fast breaks and easy drives to the paint. The Magic barely had any time to turn their heads or get settled.

Sacramento was probably going to win this game even if Orlando was playing with a little more force and physicality or with more focus and attention to detail. Some nights in the NBA, the opponent is just going to hit shots.

And this night the Kings hit a lot of them — a team-record 23 3-pointers and 41 points in the first quarter. The Magic were struggling to track those shooters and, frankly, struggling to keep up.

That gets to the heart of the problem though for Orlando. The Magic are not a team designed to keep up with one of the highest-paced teams in the league.

The Orlando Magic are still forming their identity. And to survive even poor matchups the team needs to be the aggressor and impose their style on the game.

They are quite a different team. Despite their calls to play at a faster pace, they are not talking about the number of possessions they play at. Rather it is more the force and confidence they play with and the way they impose their style on the game.

The Magic played with none of that force. There was none of the control and calmness it takes for this team to win. Orlando did not attack the paint or get to the foul line consistently. The team was put on its back foot as Sacramento ran back on Orlando at every opportunity on every miss.

Sacramento rolled to a 136-111 win at Golden 1 Center on Monday night. The game never really felt even that close as the Magic fell behind early and stayed behind — cutting the lead at one point to six in the second quarter before giving up a 20-6 run to fall behind by 20 at the half and then cutting the deficit to 11 in the third before a 21-9 run ended the third quarter and the game.

Except for those brief stretches, Orlando fell victim to the way Sacramento wanted to play.

The Kings are a team that wants to get out quickly attack the paint and kick out for 3-pointers. A team that just wants to go and just sometimes needs enough stops to outscore opponents — defense was the big lament from Mike Brown after a two-game losing streak.

The game was played at a pace of 102.0 possessions per 48 minutes. The Kings posted a 133.3 offensive rating, the second-worst mark for the Magic this season. This was a game clearly played the way Sacramento wanted.

The Magic are still shaping and forming the identity they want to play with. They are still getting down the way they need to play to win. They have discovered a lot of it.

And even in losses, it is clear to see what Orlando wants to do.

The Magic want to attack the paint — they were outscored in the paint only by four points at 46-42 showing how much the Kings focus on their 3-point shooting. They are 17th in the league at 48.3 point sin the paint per game, clearly still an area for this team to improve.

They want to get to the foul line — the Magic posted a free throw rate of 22.2 percent (20 free throw attempts) which is well below the team’s average of 29.5 percent, fifth in the league.

And they want to limit turnovers and set their defense to protect the paint themselves. The Magic are eighth in the league giving up just 48.0 points in the paint per game.

This is the team’s identity and its ticket to winning.

The Magic eventually did all of this. But through three quarters, Orlando was outscored in the paint 42-34, with only 24 of 67 field goal attempts in the paint; the team had only 14 free throw attempts and a 20.9-percent free throw rate; and the Magic got bulldozed in the paint leading to those 3-pointers that buried them completely.

The Kings had 11 points off the Magic’s 10 turnovers. But that is almost beside the point. The team was doing none of the things Orlando needs to do to win. Even on the basest level that the team has played at through the first half of the season.

This is simply a byproduct of the team’s aggression and willingness to impose themselves on the game. The team gains confidence from these attacks and that is how the team gets free for 3-pointers. This aggression can come from the defense just as easily with the team scrambling for stops.

It is a sign of how the team is at its best when it is on the attack.

When Markelle Fultz (16 points, 8-for-10 shooting, five assists) is getting downhill and finishing at the rim or dishing out to shooters. When Paolo Banchero (17 points, 5-for-11 shooting and 2-for-7 shooting from deep) is getting a head of steam and getting the foul line. Or when Franz Wagner (16 points on 7-for-12 shooting) is streaking to the basket and finishing around the rim.

Orlando has its way to win and its identity. It has the things it needs to do to win. And the Magic need to be committed to these things and not fall in love with the deep shots. That is not this team’s identity. Their 3-pointers are born from their aggression and ability to get into the paint.

The Magic did that early at least and during their runs that cut into the deficit. But clearly not enough.

Simply, the Magic settled throughout the game. They took 44 3-pointers in the game, the most of any game this season. That is simply a sign of how little the Magic were playing aggressively and on the front foot. It is a sign of how they let the Kings dictate the style of play. And it was a style that buried the team.

This does not even get into how the team broke down defensively. How the team seemed to be completely off with its rotations and its ability to slow down or even contest 3-pointers. The Kings got confident and it got to a point the Magic had no way to defend them.

The good teams are the ones that can find this confidence and this energy even when shots were not falling. They are the ones who have their style and play that style, finding the holes to stay afloat until they find a rhythm.

They are still aggressive even if everything is not working.

The Magic are still getting to that point. They can at least say they have a clear way they need to play. And they need to play it at all times.

Sacramento put Orlando on its back foot the entire game and that made it impossible for Orlando to get back into the game.