5 questions for the third quarter of the Orlando Magic’s 2023 season
5 questions for the third quarter of the Orlando Magic’s 2023 season
Will Orlando Magic harden its defensive identity?
How will the Orlando Magic climb back into the postseaosn picture and make that tangible progress? It is all going to go back to the team’s identity and the things it can rely on each night.
Ask players on the team or the coaching staff and they will tell you that it is about the team’s defense. They want to, as coach Jamahl Mosley puts it repeatedly, “hang their hat on the defensive end.”
Never mind, that Orlando’s clearest identity comes in its ability to attack the paint and get to the foul line. This is a rim-attacking team offensively. At least the Magic seem to have that down.
Still, the team’s best moments and stretches of play come when it is able to defend at a high level. That was one of the biggest keys during the team’s winning run in December.
For the entire season so far, the Magic are ranked 23rd in the league with a 114.4 defensive rating. In the first quarter of the season (the first 21 games), the Magic ranked 27th at 115.1 points allowed per 100 possessions. Since then, Orlando ranks 13th in the league at 113.8 points allowed per 100 possessions.
That is measured progress. Orlando is trying to carve its defensive identity and has put a lot of focus on stopping scoring in the paint.
Still, problems persist.
The team fouls a lot when it is at its worst — although the team gives up the 11th most free throw attempts per game (23.4 per game) and 11th in opponent free throw rate (26.7 percent). Now the team is having an issue with its rebounding — opponents have a 27.9 percent offensive rebound rate against the Magic, 14th in the league, but that number balloons to 29.6 percent (22nd in the league) in the last 10 games.
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The team’s struggles defensively are all part of the same theme. Orlando needs to play with more consistency. The league is about what a team can do every single night. That is still the big question for the Magic.
And the team’s consistency will be displayed most with its defense. If the Magic are defending at the level they have during their win streak, then they can put together wins. If they struggle to do so, then the losses can pile up pretty quickly for this team.
Defense is indeed the heart of the Magic’s success. Everyone can see how flawed this team’s offense can be — although there are certainly positive elements to it like its ability to attack the paint and get to the foul line.
The biggest point of this season was to see the seeds of this team’s eventual success. That is evident. As the season turns the corner for him, the Magic need to see the positive elements shine brighter and the team take steps toward consistency so they can really start building next season.