ATLANTA -- The Orlando Magic would tell just about anyone around the trade deadline and the All-Star break that health and consistency were the two biggest things missing from them this season.
They assured that once they could get their players back from injury and up and running, they would look more like the team everyone believed they could be.
Franz Wagner is still waiting to return, and injuries to Anthony Black and Jonathan Isaac have disrupted the team's hope for a healthy summer. But the team has largely found a rhythm. A seven-game win streak has brought some consistency and confidence on that end.
Orlando has not had the offensive season it hoped for in many ways. The team has taken some time to find its footing and its groove. But the Magic are starting to come together on that end. This win streak has only emphasized that growth offensively.
Why have the Magic suddenly found their footing? It is because they have found their footing. Players are healthy again and consistently playing. Everyone has a better understanding of their roles. And the team is flourishing because of it.
"I think we're moving it a lot better," Desmond Bane said after shootaround Monday. "We've got pretty good role definition right now. Tristan being in the starting lineup, he's a connector. He makes shots and moves the ball. J-Suggs is kind of similar. He'll take his catch-and-shoot threes, attack the paint and get others involved. And Wendell does what Wendell does. It really has allowed Paolo to be Paolo and for me to find my spots and do what I do. I like the way we are flowing right now, for sure."
Everything does seem to fit together a whole lot better during this win streak. The Magic's starting lineup has found an extreme groove, and it has emphasized the strengths of their best players.
For the first time all season, it really feels like the pieces to the puzzle fit together.
Offensive transformation?
When the Orlando Magic envisioned their season, they believed they would be powered by one thing: Their defense.
Most of the changes the team tried to implement in terms of pace and speed were based on their desire to use their defense to generate offense. They wanted to be more efficient offensively in transition and get out into their sets quicker to try to catch defenses off-balance.
While the Magic have not been the strongest offensive outfit all season -- climbing to 14th in offensive rating at 114.4 points per 100 possessions -- they have successfully pushed the pace more effectively. Orlando ranks seventh in the league at 116.0 points per 100 transition possessions, according to data from Synergy, with 22.5 transition possessions per game, eighth in the league.
That is quite the transformation.
During this seven-game win streak, things have gone into overdrive. Orlando is scoring 122.4 points per 100 possessions.
Orlando's current starting lineup with Tristan da Silva in for Anthony Black has a +24.0 net rating (125.6 offensive rating and 101.7 defensive rating) in 112 minutes across 12 games.
Tristan da Silva has been especially strong, averaging 16.2 points per game and shooting 8 for 21 (38.1 percent) in the four games Anthony Black has missed.
Jalen Suggs has stepped up too as a connector. He is averaging 16.4 points and 5.7 assists per game during the team's win streak. He is shooting 64.3 percent on 2-point field goals and 34.8 percent from deep.
Overall, Orlando is averaging 29.7 assists per game during its last seven games and 3.1 secondary assists and 40.4 potential assists per game, according to data from Second Spectrum. The team is moving the ball more efficiently and making shots.
Everything is working much more in sync.
"I think just trying to hunt good flow throughout the game and try to hunt good shots for our offense. A lot of times, for me with our lineups, it's coming out and distributing," Suggs said after shootaround Monday. "Not always to assists. But even hockey assists are good enough because they initiate good offense and good flow. That means the ball is popping if you are getting those. Just trying to hunt good ball movement and hunt pace within our offense."
All of that has opened things up for Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane so much more. The Magic's main duo is averaging 25.9 and 23.6 points per game respectively and shooting 54.7 and 53.9 percent from the floor.
Their success is as much a product of their talent as the group around them.
The trouble spot that remains
It has been a long time since the Orlando Magic had this kind of flow and movement on offense. It is easy to think that the other shoe is about to drop.
That perhaps was the feeling in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat on Saturday. Things were indeed shaky down the stretch. And the Magic still have a problem when the game slows down and they try to bleed some clock.
This team needs pace and transition to feed its offense and create some of its energy.
Where the team struggles still is in the half-court. The Magic rank 18th at 97.1 points per 100 half-court possessions. If they hope to be strong in the Playoffs, this is still where the Magic are aiming to improve.
The Magic's 104.0 offensive rating in half-court situations in the last seven games, according to Synergy Sports, is certainly a measure of improvement. It would rank second in the league for the entire season.
But the Magic can still fall back into some bad habits. Orlando still must prove it can execute down the stretch. The Playoffs will look far more like the game against the Miami Heat than the kind of game the team ultimately prefers.
That will be the challenge against a streaking Atlanta Hawks team. Every game is still about finding away to grind out a victory.
"I think tonight is a test of will," Suggs said after shootaround Monday. "Can we be mentally strong and mentally prepared through fatigue? We're both dealing with the same things. Who can come out here and play harder and more detailed? I think that will be the winner."
That is what games become late in the season. And Orlando has had to scrape some wins in the end.
But the team is a lot more confident it can do that with this offensive surge. Everyone seems to know their roles and play them a lot more effectively now.