Entering the season, everyone knew the Orlando Magic needed to address their offense in some fashion. They could not be last in pace and slowly drag the ball over the mid-court line and run into a wall offensively.
The Magic entered the season professing their desire to play faster. That was how they would fix their offense.
Initially, it did not work. The Magic were playing too fast and focused too much on their offense. There were plenty of signs that the team was improved, but they had lost their defensive identity in the process.
Their biggest weakness had gutted their biggest strength.
But now the Magic have flipped things back around. They are using their defense to power their offense. They have successfully done what they hoped to with this whole idea behind pace: They have made their defense create their offense.
In no place was that more evident than with the team's 41-point fast-break points performance against the LA Clippers on Thursday. It was not merely a season-high for the Magic, but one off the franchise record set 25 years ago (also against the Clippers).
The Magic have found their formula to spark their offense. And, at long last, they have something they are among the league's best at offensively.
They have their defense and identity to thank for that.
"Stops to get out and run," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Thursday's win. "That's the point of our defense. We talk about the running game, but it only comes after you get the stops. Not frantic, but the right way. Let your defense create your offense."
The Magic have found their formula to win. And the best version of the Magic -- the kind that can score 129 points and eviscerate a struggling team like the Clippers -- is one that gets stops on defense and gets out to run in transition.
The pace problem
Pace was the biggest word for the Orlando Magic during training camp. They were determined to play faster this year and get more opportunities in transition.
It was always about getting their defense to turn into their offense. They struggled to do that.
Last year, Orlando was second in the league in opponent turnover rate and defensive rating. The team forced a lot of turnovers and mistakes.
But the Magic were last in the league in pace at 96.5 possessions per 48 minutes. They were 26th with 17.9 transition possessions per game and 24th with 1.11 points per possession in transition, according to data from Synergy Sports. They ranked 25th with 13.8 fast break points.
All of that contributed to the Magic finishing 27th in offensive rating last year. Orlando simply left a lot of scoring opportunities on the board.
The Magic have helped fix that problem this season. That focus has been rewarded.
This year, Orlando is 18th in offensive rating at 114.8 points per 100 possessions, and the team's transition and pace is a big part of it.
The team is 21st in pace at 100.8 possessions per 48 minutes. But the team is eighth with 22.7 transition possessions per game and scoring 1.28 points per possession in transition, third in the league. The Magic are second in the league with 19.6 fastbreak points per game.
Orlando essentially went from a slowed-down offense that could not create any transition opportunities or score on them when they got them to a team that is one of the best transition teams in the league, getting lots of opportunities.
The offense has not changed much -- the Magic are still 26th in half-court offense at 0.961 points per possession, according to Synergy. But the team is pressing its advantages in transition far more effectively.
"I think the goal of playing a little fast is creating a little advantage early in the offense just by running a little faster than your opponent," Franz Wagner said after Thursday's win. "All the other rules in the halfcourt still apply. If two are in front of you, that means someone is open somewhere. Good teams consistently find those shots."
It has helped the Magic's offense find its rhythm. Transition will remain a critical part of the team .They all know that the transition starts with their defensive spark.
That is the part the team struggled to get right.
Flipping the pace
The focus on pace for the Orlando Magic seemed to go into overdrive to start the season. And the Magic suffered from being uncomfortable and inefficient while playing so fast.
In the first five games, Orlando played at a pace of 103.9 possessions per 48 minutes. The team still got 17.2 fast-break points per game.
But the Magic were getting sucked into a fast-paced game they were not equipped to handle. Their defense cratered to a 118.3 defensive rating. They gave up back-to-back games of 120 points per 100 possessions. The team did not feel like itself.
Jalen Suggs said the team came together to figure out how to balance their offense in that moment. They knew they needed to change.
"Obviously, it starts with the stops," Suggs said after Thursday's game. "I thought we had really good intention the past couple of weeks with how we're defending, the intensity we're defending at and the impact it can have on the games that we're playing. We put so much effort, both mentally and physically, to get our offense into a great space so that we can execute when we need it. I thought it was a great reminder that our identity and what has really made us elite in the past couple of years is our defense. How do you improve the offense and give that the attention it needs without losing what you built up on that end?
This has been the central question to the start of the season: Can the Magic find the right balance for their defense to power their offense?
Paradoxically, Orlando has found success because the team has slowed down, creating more emphasis on its fast breaks and transition.
The Magic's defense since Oct. 30 has vastly improved -- up to fourth in the league at 108.5 points allowed per 100 possessions. The team's pace has dropped to 99.4 possessions per 48 minutes, four possessions slower than the team's first five games.
Despite the slowdown, Orlando is still second in the league with 20.6 fast break points per game.
That was always the secret. Getting the team's defense right has powered the team's offense and propelled it to new heights.
They have been much more effective with it ever since they slowed the game down and started refocusing on sharpening their defense.
Their greatest strengths has finally helped boost their biggest weakness.