3 Orlando Magic stats to be encouraged, discouraged by through 11 games
Encouraged: Defense
The best place to start with looking at the numbers is the basic numbers and the Orlando Magic’s four factors.
We will revisit those numbers in some form or fashion throughout this post. So this page might be handy to go back to. But it is clear that Orlando has started to find its footing and find its identity on the defensive end. And this has largely stood out through the start of the season.
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 99.6 | 108.9 | 107.0 | 50.6 | 31.9 | 16.2 | 31.9 |
| Rank | 20th | 26th | 3rd | 27th | 6th | 28th | 2nd |
No one would blame you for having some whiplash looking at those numbers and where the Magic rank in the Four Factors. It is clear where the team’s strengths are and where the team’s weaknesses are early in the season.
What has happened this year is the areas we expected the Magic to struggle, they have struggled. But where the team was expected to be very good, this team has been elite. And that is why the team is over .500 and such a tough out.
Everything for this team starts with the defense. Orlando made it clear that the team believed it could be a top-10 defense this season. They have put their money where their mouth is to start the season.
They have been really strong defensively and every stat and indicator is that they can carry over this defense for the rest of the season. They have even held up decently well against some of the top offenses in the league. But there are undoubtedly areas where the Magic can continue improving defensively.
Orlando’s big defensive focus has been on locking down the paint. And this is once again a place where the Magic have dominated. It is the core of their defense.
Orlando ranks ninth in the league giving up 47.1 points in the paint per game. For good measure, the team scores 14th scoring 50.2 points in the paint per game.
This is an area the team will have to continue to watch and emphasize. Winning the paint certainly gives the Magic a chance to win and keep up with their scoring. It is also the way they can get quality three-pointers.
The focus of the Magic’s defense is pure disruption. The Magic are forcing a turnover rate of 17.4 percent, tops in the league. They also average 17.6 deflections per game, second in the league.
These are all good signs of the good work Orlando’s defense is doing and what the team is trying to accomplish on a possession-to-possession basis.