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5 Orlando Magic myths and how to dispel them

The Orlando Magic announced themselves to the wider world by making the Playoffs last year. But they are still a team floating well under the radar. And there are still a lot of myths about this Magic team.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

The Orlando Magic have a lot to prove this season. And a lot of myths they need to dispel as they enter a bigger stage.
The Orlando Magic have a lot to prove this season. And a lot of myths they need to dispel as they enter a bigger stage. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
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Myth No. 2: The Magic don't have rim protection

The Orlando Magic are recognized as one of the best defensive teams in the league. They were solid defensively to end the season in the 2023 season. That turned into a stellar effort in the 2024 season.

Orlando finished third in the league with a 110.8 defensive rating last year. Their defense held up in the playoffs too. Orlando's defense is its backbone and cultivating and keeping that defense is critical to the team maintaining its place in the Eastern Conference.

Still, there is a perception at least that the Magic do not have a defense that can hold up in the long run.

The entire all-defensive first team were centers and rim-protecting centers. That is decidedly not what Wendell Carter is. And with four of the Magic's five starters under some form of a long-term deal. Carter is the lone holdout in the lineup. And his place on the team is not settled, mostly because of his injury history.

But fans might argue the Magic need an upgrade over Carter because of his lack of shot-blocking and rim protection. He is not a traditional above-the-rim center who will finish with thunderous dunks or come flying out of nowhere to block shots.

Carter though is a good shot blocker and is a good rim protector, even if he is not elite. This might be considered the weak spot in an otherwise strong defensive unit.

Last year though, the Magic ranked 13th in the league with 5.2 blocks per game and 12th in the league giving up 64.1 percent shooting at the rim, according to data from Second Spectrum. Orlando gave up the ninth-fewest field goal attempts per game inside of five feet at 27.9 per game and gave up 63.5 percent shooting within five feet (12th in the league).

Carter, for his part, gave up only 58.4 percent shooting at the rim according to data from Second Spectrum. That ranked third behind only Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze among regular rotation players.

To be sure, the Magic's rim protection and interior defense is something that could improve. It is the weak spot in the Magic's defense. But they do a good job limiting that defense. Getting ot the interior has proven to be extremely difficult for those facing the Magic.

This may be something the Magic continue to look to improve as they move into the next phase of their development. But Orlando has proven itself to be a solid defensive team even with some weaker rim protection.

But the Magic are not a team anybody is driving on willy nilly. This is still an above-average space for the Magic. This weak spot in the defense is not so weak.

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