Orlando Magic: 3 ways they can turn things around

1. Lean into their bench

The Magic’s bench has not been an area of strength for them, but coach Clifford needs to have more belief in what these guys can do. Their rotation has holes, but they do have players capable of carrying the team for quarters at a time.

Terrence Ross is thought of as an extension of the starting five more than anything else, and off the bench he’s had a career year. He is not the problem, but after that the production gets spotty.

However, the backup duo of point guard Briscoe and center Khem Birch has been providing nice minutes since the turn of the year. Birch in particular is such a defensive presence and tries so hard on both ends, resulting in offensive rebounds and put-backs around the basket.

Even guys like Jarell Martin have had their moments, like in the recent loss to the Grizzlies. In that game the bench was active, with Jerian Grant stepping up in the absence of Briscoe to knock down three 3-pointers and Birch finishing with eight points and three rebounds in his 13 minutes.

Free throw shooting has let the Magic down over the last few months, but the bench actually ranks seventh in the league, shooting 76 percent from the charity stripe. This group has its deficiencies, but there are also some things to like from the guys who occupy the 6-9 spots on the bench.

Wesley Iwundu is another player who should be singled out for praise here, going from an unsure second round pick last season to somebody that coach Clifford clearly has a lot of belief in. He’s playing with much more confidence this year, and is underrated defensively.

The Magic have an excellent defensive rating of 101.9 when he is on the court, and he figures to be an important part of their bench as they continue building toward being a playoff team. Players like Ross and Evan Fournier can be streaky, so turning to unlikely heroes on the bench to get past supposedly weaker organizations has to be the No. 1 option for the rest of the campaign.