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Are The Orlando Magic Turning A Corner In 2015-16?

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 30, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Scott Skiles talks with guard Victor Oladipo (5) as the game goes onto overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 139-136 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Scott Skiles talks with guard Victor Oladipo (5) as the game goes onto overtime against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Amway Center. Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic 139-136 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Orlando Magic
Dec 3, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Scott Skiles brings his team in for a timeout in the first half against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /

Setting Realistic Expectations

In their first season under a new head coach, are the Magic on the verge of turning a corner? Not according to Skiles.

“I’m not sure what ‘turn a corner’ would mean,” he said before Orlando’s loss in Phoenix Wednesday night. “Like, what would that goal be? Like, ‘Hey guys, we’ve turned a corner!’ I’m not sure what that would mean.”

Okay, so maybe the phrase “turn a corner” is a little vague. How about with the more specific goal of making the playoffs in mind?

“The East is stronger, everybody knows that,” he said. “So we don’t wanna just turn a corner, we want to be a legit factor in the Eastern Conference. In order to do that, we still have a lot of improvement to do.”

It’s that exact mindset that should have the Orlando Magic feeling confident in this young team’s future.

For Skiles, it’s not enough that his team’s defense is only surrendering 98.5 points per 100 possessions this season; their offense still needs work (“We’re gonna need to shoot the ball better from three, shoot the ball better overall and still execute offensively, but the defense is there to hold us on nights when we struggle”).

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It’s also not enough that the Magic boast the league’s biggest turnaround in opponent field goal percentage, improving from 46.3 percent shooting allowed last year to 42.2 percent this year (“Yeah, but that’s one of those ‘if the season ended today, you’re in this position’ things. We’re a quarter of the way in, let’s wait and see what happens”).

From Skiles’ perspective, there are early signs of life, but nothing should be construed as anything more than the encouraging results of a small sample size.

“I don’t mean to downplay whether the guys have bought in or not; they have, for sure,” he said of the team’s defensive identity. “They’ve worked very hard at it, so I don’t want to shortchange the guys for that, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

That’s been the case for years now with the Magic, but this season’s rendition is actually starting to see the results.

Next: The Defensive End

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