It is easy to see what the Orlando Magic need this offseason.
They made the Playoffs on the strength of an elite defense and defensive culture, along with a pair of young stars who carried the team to a higher level than their supporting cast likely deserved.
The Magic believe they have the stars to compete at a higher level. The question before them this offseason is how to build the right supporting cast around them. How do they add offense to their vaunted defense.
Everyone seems to have opinions on what the Magic need. But they all lead to a lot of the same conclusions.
Orlando finished 27th in offensive rating this season and last in 3-point field goal percentage after a universally bad season throughout the roster.
It is easy to see the Magic need to prioritize their shooting, shedding players who cannot space the floor for those who can.
That is indeed a clear need for the Magic. But they need something else too. Something that could unlock a whole bunch of their offense.
That was clear when we asked fans on social media about what the Magic need this offseason. The two biggest needs play with each other:
While shooting is a big need, the Magic's biggest need is a better playmaker and creator to set those shots up. That will unlock the shooting the Magic are missing more than anything else.
It is why the focus for the Magic appears to be on finding a point guard to solidify the roster more than anything else.
This is something Jeff Weltman spoke about during the team's exit interviews when asked about the team's shooting struggles this season. He mentioned that the team's internal shot quality metrics decreased dramatically depending on what part of the season it was.
A lot of that had to do with whether the team had the full complement of its playmakers available.
The Magic never shot the ball well all season. Stats are relative in every respect.
But Orlando had a 110.3 offensive rating and shot a league-worst 31.0 percent from three before Franz Wagner's injury. They had a 105.1 offensive rating and shot 31.0 percent from three before Paolo Banchero's return. The Magic had a 101.2 offensive rating and shot 27.7 percent from three until Jalen Suggs' injury.
From Suggs' final game of the season until the end of the Magic's homestand in February, they had an 108.6 offensive rating and shot 30.9 percent from three.
It was in those final 18 games when the team turned to Cory Joseph as the starting point guard that things started to turn around. The team had a 113.6 offensive rating and shot 36.2 percent from three -- 17th in the league during that time period!
The addition of Joseph in those final 18 games proved far more consequential than anyone realized. With Joseph on the court, the Magic had a 115.6 offensive rating with Joseph on the floor, 2.0 points per 100 possessions better than the team's average for that time.
"He stabilized things," coach Jamahl Mosley said at exit interviews. "He settled things down. That comes with experience as well. Him being on championship teams and winning big, there is a poise to him, there's an experience to him to get guys settled in. His ability to think about anything else than his teammates and putting them in the best position to be successful."
That period was a good test of whether a true game manager and point guard could mean for the Magic. Clearly, it was consequential for the team.
Things were derailed a bit in the Playoffs. That is where Joseph's shortcomings and the Magic's over-reliance on their stars without shooting became much more apparent.
Orlando cannot ignore its shooting needs this offseason. But better passing, playmaking and creation can make more open shots too. The kind of shots the team can make more frequently.
Creating more open shots will go a long way for this team. Not only did the team shoot an NBA-worst 35.1 percent on "wide-open" 3-pointers, but the Magic were 17th with 18.8 attempts per game -- they were 18.2 attempts per game and 37.8 percent last year and 28.9 percent on 18.0 attempts per game in this year's playoffs.
Orlando missed a lot of shots this year and everything the team does this offseason needs to be geared toward being more reliable from deep.
"I think playmaking, veteran leadership, the ability to get into our stuff, I thought Cory showed the value of that toward the back end of the season," Jeff Weltman said during exit interviews. "Getting into our stuff, getting the ball over the court quickly and organizing the team quickly. Is this part of why our shooting numbers picked up in the back half of the season? I think there is a lot that goes into these things. They are all interconnected."
Better shooters will help with that. So too will getting more consistent playmaking and creation. Better passing and creation might have a greater impact in getting the Magic open shots.
Orlando is correct to believe it would be difficult to imagine the Magic shooting this poorly for a second straight year. Too many players should retrun to the mean. At a certain point, it was simply a confidence thing as the team struggled to shoot.
But better creation and playmaking will not only ease Banchero and Wagner's burden, it will help others get open shots. The kind of shots they can make more frequently and lift the team out of this giant hole.