Orlando Magic start to find their new identity without Paolo Banchero

Nobody really knew how this was going to work.

That was part of the problem. The Orlando Magic had to get used to the feel of an offense without Paolo Banchero and all the attention he gets from and the pressure he puts on a defense.

It is a massive change.

It is hard not to notice the pressure players like Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs felt. You could see how they attacked the basket and tried to force actions to set the tone early in the game. It felt like they were trying to do too much at times.

The Magic cannot play the same way they played with Paolo Banchero. They have to find a new way. Discovering that way is going to be a challenge for this team.

It will likely come in fits and starts. Everyone is getting a feel for their new roles. And other injuries have forced the Magic to dip deeper into their bench. Everyone is being asked to step up in a major way and play new roles.

Is that first effort a step forward then? Did the Orlando Magic rediscover themselves in a 120-109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday?

Perhaps nobody will know until the team gets a second game under its belt. The Magic left plenty to be desired, falling behind by 18 points in the opening quarter. Early misses and turnovers fed the fastbreak for a Cavaliers team that has embraced its new identity under coach Kenny Atkinson and is rolling to start the season.

An Orlando team in this situation was going to struggle to keep up.

But as the game wore on, the Magic started to settle in. The turnovers decreased. The team stopped pressing. The ball started moving and the team started to cut into the deficit.

The Magic looked like a team that can still do some damage when given the chance.

"We played great basketball after [the first quarter]," Jalen Suggs said after Friday's game. "I thought we played amazing basketball after that. I thought we played really solid defense, we made them work for shots. Even that third when they got it going again, they were tough shots. We put in good effort in getting out and running on the offensive end. I thought after that quarter we played amazing. Just got to continue to get better."

There are no moral victories for a team still eager to make the Playoffs. There are still a lot of things to clean up and roles to define.

But the edges of what this team can still be were present. Or present enough.

After going through the initial shock of playing without Banchero, the Magic started to find themselves.

The Magic saw players step up

It was evident in Jalen Suggs scoring a career-high 28 points on 10-for-20 shooting. He dished out seven assists and added eight rebounds too. Suggs was more aggressive attacking off the dribble, was probing into the middle of the defense to create tension and was willing to get to the basket.

That is something the Magic saw more of in his first two seasons when he was a bit wilder and more out of control. Suggs needed time to get used to this responsibility before he took to it with fervor, determined not to lose another game inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Suggs scored 20 points in the second half with just one turnover as he got more comfortable attacking and picking up the team's pace.

They needed that pep.

Early in the game, the Magic were simply stuck in the mud. Trying hard to replicate some of the looks Banchero might get—with Franz Wagner attacking off the dribble and Moe Wagner taking the post-up looks.

That did not work at all. The Magic not only missed whatever open looks they got, but also struggled to get the ball moving against a tough Cavs defense.

Things changed as the game wore on. That included for Franz Wagner, who seemed to take up more of that creation responsibility.

Wagner scored 17 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists. He had the tough assignment of going at Evan Mobley, but Franz Wagner still weaved around him to get some good looks and opportunities. He again was trying a bit too hard at times. But he got to his spots and showed no fear.

It is all still a work in progress. And Wagner certainly understood he needed to be more aggressive to get this team moving again.

He too grew into the game and grew into his role.

Magic's new identity under construction

So what is the Orlando Magic's new offensive identity? It is not that different from the team's identity with Paolo Banchero.

Orlando has to create more movement and pace within its offense now. It has to find a way to steal points and possessions. But the core tenets of success within the offense are the same.

The Magic have to get downhill to the basket and win the paint—they did so on Friday 56-46. They have to get to the foul line, as they did when they began cutting into the deficit in the third quarter tallying 19 of their 24 free throw attempts in the second half. the Magic still have to put pressure on the interior of the defense with their size.

In staying in the game and fighting their way back, the Magic started to find their identity again.

"Not hanging their heads, understanding that Cleveland was playing some very good basketball," coach Jamahl Mosley said after Friday's loss. "We got it down to 13, close, a couple of turnovers put it back over the top. These guys never stopped fighting. That's who this group is and who they will continue to be. It's great that we came out in the second half and showed that resistance but we've got to put 48 minutes together in a game."

The Magic did cut the deficit down to 10 points twice. Orlando made its push to get back into the game. But turned it over at critical points, allowing the Cavs to pull away.

Defense is still the key

The Orlando Magic are still trying to build a complete effort. Of course, that puts the focus on the team's defense.

That should be the element least affected by Paolo Banchero's absence. And the Magic's defense left a lot to be desired still.

Donovan Mitchell hit his share of difficult shots early to set the tone. Turnovers too—14 for 23 Cleveland points—told a big part of the story. The Cavaliers were able to work for open shots, hitting 15 of 38 threes while the Magic went 11 for 33 (with seven of those makes in the second half as the Magic did a better job staying in the game at that point).

Cleveland put Orlando in a hole that was going to be difficult for this team to climb out of without a perfect effort.

That effort was not perfect in the first half. It was better in the second half. But the team also gave up 20 fast-break points. The Cavs' pace bothered a Magic defense stretched thin by the threat of their shooting and still disorganized and getting on the same page.

The Magic were simply not precise enough to beat a team of Cleveland's quality.

But after that initial wave and shock, the Magic showed they can compete. Their defense was as key as anything to sparking the offense, forcing 13 turnovers for 17 points and tallying 21 fast-break points.

The Magic showed they are not a team that is going to bow out of this fight so easily.

"Basketball is a team game," Suggs said after Friday's loss. "Losing P sucks. We know the weight that he carries. He's dearly missed on the court. But it's a team game. We have to continue to step up and show who we are as a unit. I think this is a beautiful chance to do so throughout this stretch coming up."

They still have pieces to put together clearly. Asking them to compete against a red-hot Cavaliers team in this first effort was a lot. It may not have mattered much who the first opponent was. The first quarter was going to be a struggle to find their footing.

The Magic took that initial shock. They found something to build on later in the game -- winning the second half 65-57. That is not insignificant.

But there is still work to do to reshape this team's identity and find its formula to win without Banchero.