Some people believe in second chances.
A lot of those people play professional basketball for the Orlando Magic because this young squad in has made a living on second-chance opportunities this year. It is one of the biggest things powering the Magic's offense early in the year -- so much so that even broadcaster Jeff Turner has previously joked the Magic's offense does not really begin until they miss a shot.
Orlando is among the many teams re-emphasizing attacking the offensive glass. And with the team's bevvy of strong rebounding guards along with solid offensive rebounders in Wendell Carter, Goga Bitadze and Moe Wagner, this has become one of the team's biggest strengths.
Especially for a team that is 16th in the league in offensive rating at 112.6 points per 100 possessions (and only really surging during this seven game win streak at 116.5 points per 100 possessions).
Orlando has remained one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league. The team ranks 12th in the league at a 30.2 percent offensive rebound rate -- grabbing a bit more than three out of every 10 offensive rebound opportunities.
What has been different is the Magic are converting off these opportunities more often than not.
Orlando scores 18.1 second-chance points per game and is currently tied for first place in that category. The Utah Jazz share that honor as another team with a jumbo lineup featuring Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen and John Collins. Not too dissimilar from the big group the Magic have.
The Magic are playing their best basketball early in the year and have shown growth after last offseason. They are top five in offensive rebounds per game this year averaging 11.7 per game. The team finished outside the top 10 last year. That put them in the middle of the pack in offensive rebounding for the 2022 season.
Orlando has gotten big offensive rebounding showings too. But there is no one player who stands out. Everyone contributes to the offensive glass.
Wendell Carter and Goga Bitadze lead the team with 2.2 offensive rebounds per game. Bitadze is at 2.6 per game in November since he entered the starting lineup.
Markelle Fultz is third on the team in offensive rebounds with 1.6 per game followed by Moe Wagner at 1.5. Paolo Banchero, Jonathan Isaac, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony each average more than 1.0 offensive rebound per game.
Like so many things for this team, it is a by-committee effort to attack the glass.
Offensive rebounding is crucial for a young team like the Magic because it allows the team time to reset after a failed possession and gives them another opportunity to put the ball in the basket. This has been one of the reasons that the Magic have had so much success during this current seven-game winning streak.
This has had a major impact on the team winning, especially now that the offense has found its footing some.
On Nov. 17, the Orlando Magic faced the Chicago Bulls for an In-Season Tournament game and beat them 103-97 at the United Center. The Magic had 10 offensive rebounds in that matchup and scored a total of 14 second-chance points. This was the second game of this winning streak but this game would have not been won if it were not for those 14 points.
Two days later the Orlando Magic traveled to Indianapolis to take on the number one offense in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers did not stand a chance and at one point in the game were losing 105-65.
A large part of that lead was the second chance points that the Magic scored. Orlando had fewer offensive rebounds (8) in this game, but they still scored the same amount of second-chance points (14) against the Pacers.
Three days later the Orlando Magic hosted the defending world champion Denver Nuggets at the Amway Center. The game came down to the wire and the core players for the Magic hit some clutch shots in the fourth to pull away.
But the second-chance points are what won the game for Orlando. The Magic finished the game with 11 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points. Magic center Goga Bitadze had three of those 11 offensive rebounds to help neutralize the Nuggets' ability to run and set up their offense.
Two days after that matchup the Orlando Magic hosted the Boston Celtics. Not only did the Magic win convincingly, they collected 13 offensive rebounds and scored 21 second-chance points.
The Magic out-rebounded the Celtics by nine and put the entire NBA on notice after beating them 113-96.
The Celtics are the favorite to win the championship this season and they looked like they should not have been on the same court. This was a major confidence boost for the Magic as they now are considered one of the up-and-coming contenders.
So the Magic's win streak has been well overdue. But more importantly, the Magic have been a dominant team when it comes to second-chance points. The more reps that they get the better they will be by the end of the year.