Key Stat: 53.3% – 2015-16 TS%
Last Season: 35-47
Projected Finish: ~ in Eastern Conference
The Orlando Magic were certainly busy during the offseason. They hired a new head coach in Frank Vogel, traded for Serge Ibaka, and signed Bismack Biyombo. Unfortunately, those offseason moves did not necessarily fix their main issues.
The Magic have been decent to good defensively the past few seasons but they have struggled on the offensive end. Last season, Orlando had a team-wide true shooting percentage of 53.3%, the 10th worst mark in the league. Much of that came from the team’s lack of spacing, shooting only 22.2 times per game from behind the arc and hitting threes at a 35% rate, both below league average.
Ibaka and Biyombo are not changing that. The latter is a strictly “within-three-feet-of-the-rim” scorer while the former only shot 33% from range last season. The Magic will hope for internal growth from Elfrid Payton, in addition to continued excellence from Evan “Never Google” Fournier, to create much-needed spacing.
Where the Magic will have success, however, is on defense. Orlando was a respectable 17th in defensive rating last season, allowing 1.046 points per possession. Now, they’ve added two admirable rim protectors.
Despite posting the lowest block rate of his career last year, Ibaka had a strong impact on the Thunder’s defense. With him on the court, OKC had a defensive rating of 102.5, an improvement over the 103.9 points per 100 possessions given up with him on the sidelines.
Biyombo, meanwhile, had a bigger impact through blocking more shots. His 6.1% block percentage was the third best in the league among those who played the requisite minutes. That impact showed for the Raptors who were nearly four points per 100 possessions better on defense with Biyombo on the court.
Juggling minutes between three talented should-be centers in Biyombo, Ibaka, and Nikola Vucevic will be difficult for Vogel. That’s not to mention minutes that he will have to find for stud third-year player Aaron Gordon at the power forward position.
Regardless of how Vogel manages, the Orlando Magic promise to be a great defensive team. That should give them a chance of contending for the playoffs: the 13 best defenses in the NBA last season made the postseason. However, the lack of shooting and offensive versatility will ultimately limit their ceiling and (in our eyes) keep them away from the postseason.
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