The Orlando Magic opened Thursday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets with the kind of play fans have been dreaming of.
Desmond Bane fired a pass to the corner to Tristan da Silva. A scrambling Hornets defense was late and da Silva drove the lane, drawing a defender to him. He fired it to the win to an open Anthony Black. Black attack the close out, drawing more defenders into the paint before firing it back to the wing for a Bane three.
This play had everything the Magic have hoped for. Quick decisionmaking against close outs, aggressive driving to the paint, simple but effective ball movement and ending with an open shot off multiple paint touches.
Bane's spacing and passing ability was meant to open these avenues up. They are things players like Black and da Silva have taken advantage of. And it ended with that ultimate tool -- a Bane three.
When the Magic make these quick decisions, get defenses in rotation and in motion, unsure of where to be, they have been as effective as any team.
Orlando's offensive improvements, though, have been mostly cosmetic. The underlying problems remain.
The Magic are still in an offensive rut. And everyone knows it. Very little has changed.
"If we want to be a contender or whatever you want to call it and play deep into the playoffs, we have to go out there and be different," Paolo Banchero said after Thursday's game. "We can't just stay the same. Right now, it feels like we have the same issues as the past, and our defense is slipping, which makes it look worse. Our defense covered that in the past. Now that is slipped, and those problems start to magnify when you can't rely on your defense."
After making that opening shot, the Magic missed their next nine shots. They trailed 15-6 before Black broke the streak with a three. The game was far from over, but the offense never record.
The Magic scored fewer than 100 points for the first time since a Jan. 9 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and for the fourth time this season. Their 102.1 offensive rating was their fifth-worst of the season.
The Magic came into the season determined to shift their offensive mindset. Instead, it has felt like far too much of the same. That frustration boiled over in plain terms.
Offensive issues remain
The Orlando Magic's offense remains the issue. And the Magic's star player calling back to the team's difficult offensive path in the midst of this stretch only highlights where the Magic remain so horribly deficient.
Orlando is, to be clear, improved offensive in some key areas.
The Magic are 19th in offensive rating at 114.1 points per 100 possessions. They have not been outside of the bottom 10 in offensive rating since Dwight Howard's departure. That is some measure of progress.
But even that number is slipping.
Since Franz Wagner's injury on Dec. 7, the Magic are 24th in the league with a 111.6 offensive rating. Missing key offensive players like Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs certainly hurts. The Magic are not whole.
The Magic still rank 23rd with a 96.1 offensive rating in half-court situations. There is still a major offensive issue that the team's ability to get out in transition -- 114.5 points per 100 possessions on 22.7 transition possessions per game, both marked improvements from last year -- have not been able to resolve.
Orlando is still trying to figure out how to create a more consistent offense. And an offense that can thrive in the playoffs.
Orlando has solved a turnover problem from last year. But the team is still 28th in the league, shooting 34.0 percent from three. The team is 14th with 26.3 assists per game (up from 30th at 23.0 per game last year) and 23rd in the league with 44.9 potential assists per game, according to data from Second Spectrum.
There are just a lot of frustrating trends that have continued year over year. The Magic have not been able to solve their offense. And it does feel like a repeat of so many frustrating seasons.
"I think it is really similar to the last couple of seasons if you really look at it," Banchero said after Thursday's loss. "Last year wasn't a great season. We had tough times and a lot of bad losses. The year before we won 47 games and had our best, but it is something that has occurred over and over again the last few seasons. We have to figure out how to put an end to it."
Defense is gone
For the first time, Banchero is right: The Orlando Magic do not have their defense to lean on. And that has further exposed their offensive issues.
That is where the dissatisfaction is.
The team has failed to put the pieces together. One mistake feeds into the next. And missed shots have worn this team out.
"I think it's a lot of things. I think offensively, not having a rhythm. It's hard for guys to come in and come back down the other end and try to get stop after stop if we are not scoring," Banchero said after Thursday's loss. "It's easy to say that. But out there on the court, it's hard. There is a lot of different reasons game to game."
The reasons the Magic have not broken through is obvious. It is still this team's inconsistent offense. They have not been able to even accidentally form a consistent offense for the past decade-plus.
And that is what is still keeping the Magic from achieving their vision.
Orlando has to figure out a lot an get right this season. But for the first time, there is clear frustration that the puzzle pieces have not fallen to place. And it is coming from the team's best player.