Tuesday night provided another sign of the Magic’s progress — progress made without the franchise’s most recognizable star, injured forward Paolo Banchero.
The Magic defeated the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers 144–103 in a game fueled by Anthony Black’s career-high 31 points, Jalen Suggs’ career-high 11 assists and Suggs’ second-quarter ejection to escalate a brawl that began with a tense altercation between teammate Wendell Carter Jr. and the Sixers’ Andre Drummond.
This was Orlando at his best: generating defensive stops, then pushing the ball upfield, controlling his defensive glass and, continuing a shocking trend, converting at least 38 percent of his 3-point attempts for the fourth consecutive game.
Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid, Paul George, VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr., which should take some of the shine off Orlando’s win, but not all of it. The Magic began the season with heavy expectations with a 1–4 record. Since then, they have won 10 of their last 14 games, including a quality win over the New York Knicks, a narrow overtime road loss to the Houston Rockets, and a solid win over the Golden State Warriors.
“I think we’re figuring out our identity,” forward Franz Wagner said.
What has changed? Their frenetic pace of the early season has slowed down, with players understanding more clearly when to push the ball and when to take shots early in the shot clock.
3-point shooting, which has been a serious weakness for years, now looks above average when playing certain lineups.
Guard Desmond Benn, the marquee addition in the offseason, appears more confident on offense, has a better understanding of his teammates’ tendencies and his teammates have a better feel for him.
“We’re absolutely unselfish,” Ben said. “I think we’re playing for the next man up. Guys are making shots. Guys are playing with a lot of confidence. It’s freeing; it’s fun. But it’s all being driven by our defense, getting stops, and being able to get out and run is helping everything.”
And the defense — which still has uncharacteristic problems in the half-court, forcing fewer turnovers at a lower rate than it’s accustomed to — looks somewhat like its typical group from the last two seasons.
“Yeah, we started the year off bad,” Carter said. “In those losses, we weren’t playing up to our standard on the defensive end. We’ve re-established our defensive identity, and the offense is just picking up.”
“Clicking” is an understatement.
The Magic finished last season with the league’s 27th-ranked offense, scoring 108.9 points per 100 possessions. This season, they rank seventh in offensive efficiency with an average of 117.9 points per 100 possessions.
He finished last season in 3-point shooting percentage, making 31.8 percent of his attempts from deep. He now ranks 19th on 35.6 percent of his long-range attempts.
“I think we’re doing a pretty good job,” Suggs said. “At the beginning of the year, there was a lot of focus on it. I think it was needed, and the lumps and bumps were needed. I think as we got back to playing great defense, getting out and running and rewarding our defense by playing great offense, I think that’s something that’s been a jump for all of us.”
Carter and second-year forward Tristan da Silva have made the biggest leaps with their 3-point shooting, with percentages ranging from the low to mid-40s. But Wagner made the most significant advances. Last season ended with his shot in disarray, with a noticeable hitch when he rose 3 seconds from the break. But his shooting speed looks comfortable, and his confidence is starting to return. His percentage has increased from 29.5 percent last season to 35.7 percent this season.
With Banchero still recovering from a groin strain suffered two weeks ago, coach Jamahl Mosley has named Suggs, Bane, Da Silva, Wagner and Carter as his starting five when everyone is available to play. Bane is an upgrade from predecessor Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and da Silva is a more reliable 3-point shooter than Banchero.
Da Silva’s emergence has stabilized the offense in Banchero’s absence, and the biggest question is whether Orlando can maintain its offensive flow when Banchero returns.
In some ways, it seems strange that Banchero, as talented and adept as he is at drawing fouls, could make the offense less efficient. Still, it’s a valid question. Banchero and Wagner are at their best as creators with the ball in their hands. Right now, Banchero’s absence allows others, especially Ben, to get more touches and generate better rhythm, which is central to accurate shooting.
Although the Magic have slowed down their pace after a 1-4 start, they are still playing faster than last season. According to NBA Stats tracking data, from November 14 to November 22 – games played without Banchero – he took 21.2 percent of his shots at the beginning of the shot clock, between 22 and 18 seconds. Last season, he attempted just 13.1 percent of his shots at the start of the shot clock.
Suggs, Black, Da Silva and Wagner excel at a fast pace. However, for Banchero, playing fast is not his strength.
Mosley and the Magic players said they did not anticipate any problems, partly because Banchero had watched the offense’s recent developments closely.
“He’s been the No. 1 guy to talk to about how we’re defending, how we’re getting out and running,” Mosley said. “And it allows him to get easy baskets that way. So I think as we continue to defend the right way, we keep getting stops, (we’ll) be able to get out and run to get easy baskets for everybody.”
Suggs said the team can continue to “play the same way” after Banchero returns.
“Paolo is a great guy,” Suggs said. “He’s a great guy. He’s a very smart basketball player. He has every solid tool to do anything on the court. Obviously, he’s been with us on every road trip, every game, every practice. So he’ll be OK. He’ll come back and mesh well with us because he’s our brother. No matter how we’re playing while he’s out, we want him on the court. And we’re better when he’s on the court.”
When the playoffs come, the game will slow down and it will be more difficult for Orlando to push the ball upfield. That’s when Banchero excels as a guy who hits hard shots regularly. Banchero was dominant in his two NBA playoff series, averaging 28.0 points per game on nearly 45 percent shooting against the elite defenses of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
However, the postseason is still far away. The Magic have only played 19 games in their regular season, with 63 more games left to play.
Tuesday night, inside the visitors’ postgame locker room, Benn was asked how close the Magic are to fulfilling their potential on offense.
“Not even close,” Ben replied.
If he’s right, it should scare the rest of the Eastern Conference.
A tough test looms on Friday with a crucial NBA Cup group-stage road game against the Detroit Pistons, winners of 13 consecutive games.
“Friday, in a big game, is a great opportunity for us to keep working on everything, just stay on course,” Wagner said. “It’s going to be a long season. There’s going to be more ups and downs. We’ve got to keep the same mentality we’ve had the last few weeks.”
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