Orlando Magic can lean into 3-point shooting to win games

The Orlando Magic returned to their home court after some time off on Friday evening and were able to dispatch the New Orleans Pelicans.

This despite looking sluggish throughout most of the opening half, and watching rookie sensation Paolo Banchero struggle to the tune of 11 points and six rebounds, posting a plus/minus of -15 in only 24 minutes played.

We already know it is not going to be his night every time he steps onto the court, which was why it was vital to see Franz Wagner chip in with 30 points, looking comfortable with both starting and second unit.

What coach Jamahl Mosley will also have seen, is just how important 3-point shooting can be for the group, and how it can lead to more wins for them.

Wagner was at his best from deep, making five out of seven from beyond the arc. Where it gets better, and this is an area the Magic should be targeting in upcoming games to hurt opponents, was how well others shot the three ball.

Gary Harris and Terrence Ross were a combined six of eight, while Cole Anthony made both of his shots en route to scoring an impressive 22 points. Not bad for a player who many fans are still not sold on, and who has struggled for consistency this season.

If the Magic were making their 3-point shots (they went 50 percent on the night at 15 for 30), then surely they need to just take more, make more and win games. Right?

If only it were that simple.

Franz Wagner finished with nine assists, while his older brother Moe Wagner was a thorn in the Pelicans’ side. As a result of his interior play, Bol Bol’s ability to stretch the court and Franz Wagner’s passing, the Magic were able to stretch their opponent and get good looks.

These will not always go down, but it feels like the group has come across a new wrinkle with which to score on opponents.

The team is averaging 31.3 3-point attempts per game in their last 10 games. This is still a shot the Magic try to shoot selectively. It is a bottom-10 mark in the league at 22nd, although slightly above the 30 they hoisted in this win. On the season as a whole, that number has held steady at 31.2, which puts them at an even lower 25th in attempts per night.

Yet the Magic have shot 34.6 percent as a group for the year, which has them sitting at an encouraging 21st. The answer then is not as simple as throwing up more shots and hoping they go in, but rather working with what they’ve got to create better openings.

Jonathan Isaac is going to be back for the organization soon, and no matter what he is going to stretch the court and make the occasional 3-pointer himself. In his admittedly stunted career so far, Isaac is a 33 percent shooter from deep. A number he can most certainly improve upon.

More encouraging still is the fact the Magic have six players shooting 37 percent or higher from 3-point range this season. All of these players, except Kevon Harris, can be considered part of the core rotation.

These include players who would be considered bigs such as Bol Bol (37.1 percent) and Mo Bamba (37. percent). Gary Harris (a team-leading 41.7 percent) and Terrence Ross (38.1 percent) make the list as well and yet combined these two gunners are only taking just over seven attempts from deep a night.

Surely then this is the secret sauce the Magic should be looking to stir into their play more?

Have opponents worry about the range of Bol Bol, Mo Bamba and even Wendell Carter (a respectable 34.8 percent), while getting Gary Harris and Terrence Ross the ball more to notch up some more points from deep.

Markelle Fultz will find any player he wants, and Franz Wagner’s passing continues to improve at a rapid rate. Really then there is no reason the Magic cannot move up to league average at taking and making 3-pointers.

It may be that coach Jamahl Mosley is afraid of this young group settling for long-range efforts. The identity he has worked hard to create revolves around defending hard, putting interior pressure on opponents nailing the basics on every possession.

But games like the Pelicans victory clearly highlight the roster has different ways they can win games, and shooting while hot in order to blow teams away is not a bad Plan B or even Plan C to have in the back pocket.

Especially when you have a player like Harris in your rotation, who looked energized in being allowed to hoist up nearly double the amount of 3-pointers he typically does in the win over the Pelicans.

The same story applies to Ross, even if this is done with the purpose of making him a more appealing trade candidate.

It will be interesting to see if the Magic take and make more shots from deep over the next 10 games, especially with the race for the play-in heating up and the organization still very much in the race. The team have players who can let it fly, all they need is the green light to do so.