Friday night was not a good example of the new-look Orlando Magic.
Against the Detroit Pistons, they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for points. They struggled to shoot, making only 5 of 30 3-pointers.
Their 10-point lead in the fourth quarter disappeared quickly because the Pistons could make threes -- a few timely ones from Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson, to be specific.
The end of that game became the kind of slog the Magic are used to from last year.
But they entered those closing minutes with a touch more confidence than they might have last year.
It was not merely having Desmond Bane, who finished with 37 points and hit the go-ahead and-1 layup with about two minutes to play. It was not merely Franz Wagner, who had his share of tough shots down the stretch to help the Magic hold the Pistons off.
This is a team that is rolling offensively. The offensive standards at the Kia Center have indeed changed in a major way.
The Magic are ranked eighth in the league in offensive rating at 117.3 points per 100 possessions. If that holds for the rest of the season, it would snap a streak of being in the bottom 10 of offensive rating every year since Dwight Howard's departure after the 2012 season.
Orlando is no longer worrying about this big weakness.
The Orlando Magic's 112 points on Friday were the fewest in two weeks -- since the comeback win over the Brooklyn Nets in group play. The team's 106.7 offensive rating was the worst since the overtime loss to the Houston Rockets from two weeks ago.
That 106.7 offensive rating marked just the fourth game this season with an offensive rating worse than 110 points per 100 possessions. The Magic had 21 games last season with an offensive rating worse than 100.0.
It is a very different kind of year for the Magic.
What is powering the shift?
What has changed dramatically with the Orlando Magic's offense?
It is not shooting. The Magic are still 22nd in the league with 34.7 percent shooting -- better than last year's abysmal mark but still nowhere near the league average.
It is not passing. The Magic are 21st with 25.6 assists per game, 25th in potential assists per game with 43.7 and 24th with 65.6 assist points created per game.
It is not even the team's half-court offense. Orlando is 21st with 0.965 points per possession in half-court sets, according to data from Synergy.
Instead, two major things have changed. The Magic have improved in transition and are pummeling opponents in the paint and at the rim.
Last year, Orlando was 26th with just 17.9 transition possessions per game and 23rd with 1.106 points per possession in transition, according to data from Second Spectrum. This was despite being second in the league in forcing turnovers.
The whole obsession with pace was about initiating offense more quickly, but it was also about turning the team's strong defense into more offensive opportunities.
Through 19 games, it has been a successful mission. The Magic are sixth in the league with 23.2 transition possessions per game and third in the league with 1.241 points per possession in transition.
That is quite the transformation.
Predictably that has meant a lot more shots at the rim.
The Magic were 24th in the league with 45.8 points in the paint per game.
They were 18th in the league with 24.3 field goal attempts per game in the restricted area and 18th at 66.1 percent shooting. They were 24th in the league with 16.1 field goal attempts per game in the paint outside the restricted area and 19th at 42.6 percent shooting.
This year, the Magic are fourth in the league with 54.2 points in the paint per game.
They are sixth in the league with 28.9 field goal attempts per game in the restricted area and 16th at 67.3 percent shooting. They are 19th with 17.3 field goal attempts per game in the paint outside the restricted area and 14th at 44.2 percent on those shots.
And that does not even account for the team leading the league in free-throw rate. Orlando is putting tons of pressure on the rim.
The question in the background
The Orlando Magic's offense has taken an undoubted leap so far this season. Because it is not reliant on shooting and depends on a steadily improving defense -- the Magic are still ranked ninth in the league in defensive rating at 112.4 points per 100 possessions -- the Magic should be able to continue scoring in this way.
The team will need shooting and better spacing to compete at the highest levels. But the Magic's offense feels like a weapon for the first time in more than a decade.
It is something that Paolo Banchero should be able to continue to enhance because his entire game is about attacking the paint, getting to the foul line and soaking up attention and gravity with his size.
But that is the question everyone seems to be asking. The Magic's offense was already playing well before Banchero's injury. But since Banchero's injury on Nov. 12, the Magic have a 121.1 offensive rating since then, going 6-2 and racking up the fifth-best offense in the league during that time.
That has led to a lot of speculation that the offense simply moves better with Banchero out -- the team still averages only 44.3 potential assists per game in the past eight games.
Before his injury, the Magic were better with Banchero on the floor by about a point per 100 possessions. There is still some question of whether Banchero can keep the ball moving with his penchant for isolation play and slowing things down, particularly in the half-court, but he should be able to match what the Magic are trying to do on offense.
The reality is that there might be some adjusting to Banchero getting reinserted into the lineup. But this train is not likely to slow down very much.
The Magic are simply a more efficient and confident offensive team. And their streak appears close to ending.