Orlando Magic: What Needs To Change Right Now
By Luke Duffy
Although the Orlando Magic finally got a win on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, there is still much that needs to improve across the board for this team. Orlando now sits at 1-4, and while this is a rebuilding team, losing can grate on you.
Indeed, it seemed the Magic players were more relieved than happy with the Tobias Harris game-winner. Needless to say, changes are needed in more than one area, so I took a look at some of the player and team statistics to see what needs to change going forward for this team to be more competitive.
First though, a quick word on what this team is doing right, because reading about how bad a team is can be tiring work. To start the season, the Magic are a top-10 rebounding team in the league, and that’s a big plus for a team that is having offensive troubles. The team ranks sixth in the league, grabbing an average of 44.3 boards a game.
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That number will change as the games pile up, but it’s a positive sign for sure. With center Nikola Vucevic responsible for 15 of those rebounds each game, his importance to this team cannot be understated. Add the hard working Kyle O’Quinn to the mix, and it makes teams think twice about coming into the paint at all times against this team.
On top of that, seeing Harris come through in a clutch moment was great to see. It wasn’t the hardest buzzer beater in the world, but it was the result of a well executed play. I’ve felt since the first preseason game that Harris was really going to bring it this year, and in the absence of some other key players, he’s stepped up admirably. Let’s hope he continues to do so.
Sadly though, there’s more bad than good, and I’ll start with Elfrid Payton. Not his actual play, since he has been fantastic for this team through five games and looks better than advertized. He leads the team in assists (7.5 per game) and steals (1.0 per game) so far this year. But that’s kind of the problem. Sure Victor Oladipo is still out injured and has yet to suit up this year, but having Payton doing so much despite only playing five professional games of basketball to date points to the lack of talent on this team.
Again, it’s great that Payton is doing so much so soon and it’ll stand to help this team in the future. But he’s going up against elite point guards most nights, so it’s tough for him. Other players need to chip in, although Payton figures to lead this team in assists all year. He’s a point guard that just doesn’t shoot all that often.
In keeping with that theme, this is a team that ranks in the bottom 10 in scoring, with 91.8 points per game average. Sure, they’ve played the famously stingy Chicago Bulls, but it’s clear they’re struggling to score consistently. When Harris is hitting his shots, it opens the floor for others. But with Payton not shooting, Oladipo not on the court and not much else happening, some offensive possessions can be tough to watch.
In fact, it may come as a surprise to you that Vucevic leads this team in scoring with 18 points a game. To see a player who recently got paid back that up by playing so well is great, and it once again highlights his importance. When Oladipo returns to pick up the scoring load, Vucevic’s scoring contribution will be an even nicer addition to this offense.
You may remember two-way shooting guard Arron Afflalo led the team in scoring last season, despite the fact he’s not an out and out scorer. With Vucevic picking up the slack, it’s clear offensive issues weren’t addressed in the summer. That being said, Channing Frye will continue to grow in influence for this team on the court with his defense stretching abilities.
Perhaps the worst statistic of all to date, this team is shooting 65.1 percent from the free throw line. Only the Sixers are shooting it worse to start the season. Free throws are like free buckets when you can shoot the basketball properly. Orlando ranks 23rd in the league in actually getting to the charity stripe, so penetrating the paint properly needs to see an improvement as well. But really, this is a shocking statistic.
Vucevic has nice hands and has demonstrated a serviceable jump shot when he’s had to go to it, which admittedly isn’t all that often. Harris can shoot the ball, so too can the likes of Frye and even bench players like Luke Ridnour and Ben Gordon. So this is a number that absolutely needs to swell if this team is to get better as the season winds on.
So there you have it, some pretty grim reading in there for Magic fans. It’s especially frustrating when you watch this team do all the right things for periods of the game, only to then shoot themselves in the foot by going cold or demonstrating an inability to hit their free throws to stay in the game. Here’s hoping that victory against the terrible 76ers allows this team to kick on, starting with what will hopefully be another competitive performance Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.