When the Orlando Magic's offense is working, it can truly be a thing of beauty.
Think about that opening play against the Miami Heat in the first game of the season. The way the Magic got the ball to Paolo Banchero at the free throw line after rolling on a pick and roll with Desmond Bane to find Wendell Carter with a lob.
There have been plenty of moments where the team looked this seamless, using the threat of their scoring and downhill force to find players. There was a lot of this during Friday's win over the Boston Celtics.
It was plays where Paolo Banchero sets a screen for Franz Wagner, gets the ball at the free throw line and fires for Desmond Bane for an open three. There is a lot of potential for creativity and pressure inherent in the Magic's talent.
Orlando understood that its fortunes and its potential lay in unlocking some more offensive movement. The team could not stand still.
Throughout training camp and preseason, the Magic preached they would play faster. They have indeed picked up their pace. But the formula for creating a better offense has not quite come together. The team is still getting used to playing faster.
Undoubtedly, the emphasis on playing faster has taken a toll on the team's defense, putting the team in more precarious positions. The question is whether this team's new offensive philosophy will come together and ultimately benefit them.
It is certainly too early in the season, after just nine games, to draw too many conclusions. But the Magic's offense is always in the spotlight. And the early-season struggles are only increasing the spotlight on these struggles.
It has at least a few analysts wondering if the Magic should make some tweaks and slow down, abandoning their push for more pace. Everyone is paying attention to these shifts.
"They are still trying to shift their identity and see what works for them," Evan Turner said on the Open Floor podcast last week. "The more and more you have more possessions, the more and more you have the best players in the world to come downhill and score on you. I think you are starting to see that heavily."
The going thought for many was that the Magic would keep their offensive strategy and merely insert Desmond Bane and his shooting into the mix, leaning on their defense to remain elite. That is not what the Magic are doing.
It has taken some time to get things right. They certainly are not there.
But there is definitely some positive signs to note along with plenty to improve. The Magic's shift in pace might be a bet worth making and continuing.
Where the offense has gone right
If the Orlando Magic's main goal was to pick up the pace this year, they have certainly accomplished that.
The Magic were last in the league in pace last year at 96.5 possessions per 48 minutes. The shift this year has been quite dramatic, with the team 12th in the league at 102.5 possessions per 48 minutes (a number that has been decreasing in recent games).
For all the talk of the Magic's offensive struggles, they are still much improved on that end overall.
The team is ranked 19th after Friday's explosive 123-point, 122.4 offensive rating showing against the Boston Celtics. Orlando is averaging 114.1 points per 100 possessions (right behind the Golden State Warriors, for what it is worth).
The emphasis on pace is seen most in transition, where the Magic have greatly improved. Last year, Orlando scored only 13.8 fastbreak points per game, 25th in the league. This year, they are 10th in the league with 17.6 fast-break points per game.
Orlando's transition offense has also significantly improved. The team ranked 26th with 17.9 transition possessions per game and 23rd with 1.11 points per possession in transition, according to data from Synergy Sports.
This year, they are 12th in the league with 22.0 transition possessions per game and fifth in the league with 1.28 points per possession in transition.
Transition possessions are probably the only offensive category this year that the Magic have succeeded in. If there is an argument about pace, it is that the Magic need to do more to get out in transition more.
That of course turns to the defense.
The case against pace
The Orlando Magic's offense is improved over last season. There are still a lot of klunky moments, particularly in the half-court, where the team ranks 27th with 0.93 points per possession in half-court sets. That is a number that must improve as the season continues.
But the case against pace is exactly what the critics have said: It is putting the Magic's defense in a bind.
Orlando is only 15th in the league with a 114.0 defensive rating in the early part of the season. It is still early enough that one good game can drastically change the team's ranking and statistics. But the eye test would suggest that pace has a lot to do with the Magic's struggles.
Orlando is 18th in the league, giving up 0.99 points per possession in the half-court, according to data from Synergy Sports. They were fourth in the league last year, giving up just 0.96 points per possession in the half-court.
It is not merely playing fast that is getting them. The defense needs to improve overall and return to the style the Magic are used to.
In transition, the Magic are giving up 23.0 transition possessions per game, seventh-most in the league, and 1.07 points per possession, the fourth-most in the league. Last year, the team gave up only 19.6 transition possessions per game, the fifth-fewest, and 1.11 points per possession, the ninth-fewest in the league.
There are definitely more leaks defensively. And with more possessions, it means more ground covered, more running and more opportunities for other teams to score.
The biggest lesson of the first three weeks of the season should be that the Magic need their defense to create their offense. That is still their best ticket.
If there is a case for slowing down, it is to help limit turnovers and mistakes and give the defense its best chance to get set and play to its strengths.
This is a clear balance Orlando is still fighting for.
But coach Jamahl Mosley and the team are certainly insistent that this can work and benefit them greatly. It is just taking some time for the team to get used to the thought process and the speed the team wants to play.
There is still plenty of evidence that the Magic are improved offensively because of these changes. But they are still fighting to balance it with defense and "do both," as they repeated during camp.