Magic's Identity Defined First Half of Season, Not Injuries

The Orlando Magic have dealt with a slew of injuries that could have derailed their season at multiple points. When they are finally able to have their best players together, the Magic feel primed for a run.
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. / John Jones-Imagn Images

MILWAUKEE — The Orlando Magic have arrived here in a much different fashion than their competitors.

"Here" is the midpoint of the NBA season, and as the second half begins Wednesday night in Milwaukee, the Magic have a 23-18 record and possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Based on last year's 47-win performance — when Orlando fought toe to toe with conference heavyweights for most of the season — the current position was expected.

Instead, it's how the Magic are replicating success — and who they've been winning without — that is worthy of notice.

Magic players have missed 118 games due to injury or illness this season. Of those lost games so far, 68 belong to their top four scorers — Paolo Banchero (34), Franz Wagner (16), Jalen Suggs (7), and Moe Wagner (11).

Banchero returned last weekend after a 10-week recovery process for a torn right abdominal muscle. Suggs and Franz Wagner remain out but are counting the days toward a comeback. Moe Wagner (torn ACL) is done until next season.

MORE: Franz Wagner gets positive upgrade in injury designation

A glance around the NBA shows the contrast between teams such as Orlando and Memphis (25-15, 3rd in West), which have coped well with mounting injuries, and Philadelphia (15-23, 11th in East) and New Orleans (9-32, 15th in West), which have struggled. How are the Magic getting results when others aren't?

"It speaks volumes to this coaching staff and how they're able to continue to uplift [and] motivate these guys," coach Jamahl Mosley said Tuesday. "To understand the standard that these young men have set for who we are as the Orlando Magic. How hard we have to play, the way and the style in which we have to play. So no matter who's on the floor, whether we have 15 or we have eight or we have seven, it should not matter."

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers
Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

After nearly every win, some more improbable than others, the Magic repeated a theme: They have enough. Out of necessity, every victory was by committee.

Orlando's third-lowest offensive rating places the Magic alongside some of the NBA's bottom feeders. The second-rated defense, however, allows the Magic to compete every single night. They have forced opponents out of their game plans, have owned the fourth quarter, and have stayed afloat despite missing their best players.

Where other teams might see low-scoring slugfests as ugly outcomes, the Magic see opportunities.

"We're big and we force teams [to] have to knock down shots," Jonathan Isaac said of his team's fourth-quarter advantages. "When it comes down to the end of games, guys don't really have legs. When you have to hit tough twos and three-pointers, it's really difficult. You're not getting to the rim, or if you are, we're there [and] challenging. ... Our size helps us, and that mentality that no matter what has happened in previous plays, it's a new play and we're coming at you again."

Nobody in the NBA owns a better net rating, defensive rating, or point differential in the final 12 minutes. The Magic have won seven games when trailing to begin the fourth quarter and are 11-7 in "clutch" games this season — the sixth-best mark in the league. A "clutch" game is when the score is within five points in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime.

"Big admirer from afar in this team," Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said before last Thursday's game. "What they've been able to build step by step, I feel like they haven't skipped any steps [without their top players]. Great culture here in terms of, they put the work in, defensive-led, [and] they've been able to have a next-man-up mentality as a result of that, which is really important. You could see and feel it coming like year after year. ... To stay where they are given what they've had to endure is pretty impressive."

"Give the organization some credit, too," Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse said prior to their matchup Sunday. "The guys they've drafted have been good hits for them, they've got some great depth. ... So that's a testament to the front office for having talent to keep plugging gaps. And coaching, [Mosley's] got them playing hard, playing great defense, and totally bought in."

"Regardless of who they have out, [the Magic] have a coach who prides himself on physicality, defense, and being tough," said New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson after the Magic's upset win in Madison Square Garden. "That's just who he is, and that's their nature. You have to give them a lot of credit."

"Orlando is a very, very dangerous team," Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said following last Friday's game. "A young team. ... a very, very big team. They can give a lot of teams problems, not just [us]."

As of the morning of Jan. 15, the Magic are:

  • Three games behind New York for the three-seed in the East, but the Knicks own the season series tiebreaker;
  • Six games behind Boston for the two-seed; and
  • 12 games behind Cleveland, which has the NBA's best record.

Orlando is 2-4 against those three teams.

In the other direction, the Magic are just two games clear of ninth-place Atlanta. Sandwiched between them are:

  • Five-seed Milwaukee, a half-game back of Orlando and ahead 2-0 in the season series;
  • Sixth-place Indiana, one game behind and 1-2 versus the Magic;
  • No. 7 Miami, 1.5 games back and also 1-2 vs. Orlando; and
  • Eight-seed Detroit, 1-0 vs. Orlando this year and also 1.5 games back of the Magic.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday as he nears his return from injury, Franz Wagner said everybody on the Magic deserves "a lot of credit. We could've easily given up and thrown the towel after a bunch of guys went out. I thought we did a good job, even when stuff wasn't going perfect, of playing super hard and trying to get better each possession. I think you're gonna see that it's going to pay off hopefully later when it really matters."

During his time away, Banchero said that he spent more time than he ever has been able to before watching other NBA games. The thing that stuck out to him the most?

"The league this year, there's been a lot of injuries," Banchero said. "The teams that have been the best have been the healthiest teams. All the teams that are at the top have had the best health. It made me even more eager to come back and help these guys out even though they've been doing a great job.

"Once we get back to full strength with me, Franz, Jalen, everybody back, I think we'll be prime to make a run."

Related Stories on the Orlando Magic

  • BITADZE IN CONCUSSION PROTOCOL: Goga Bitadze has been placed into concussion protocol after developing concussion-like symptoms following the Magic's Jan 12 game at Philadelphia, Magic on SI learned. CLICK HERE
  • FRANZ ENTERS RETURN TO COMP. CONDITIONING PHASE: Fourth-year Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner has been sidelined since Dec. 6, 2024 with a torn right oblique. CLICK HERE
  • ISAAC HAS BELIEF SEASON CAN TURN AROUND: Jonathan Isaac says the first half of the 2024-25 season has been "rough" on him. But Sunday's breakout against the Philadelphia 76ers was a good sign. CLICK HERE
  • BANCHERO'S RETURN, MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: The key moments that bulleted Paolo Banchero's return back to the floor. CLICK HERE
  • BANCHERO, WAGNER MAINTAIN TOP 10 IN ALL-STAR VOTING: Second returns for All-Star weekend fan voting revealed Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's status to be unchanged. CLICK HERE
  • MAGIC'S 2024-25 SCHEDULE: See the complete slate for the Orlando Magic in 2024-25 and all the details – dates, locations, TV, tip times, and more – that you need to know. CLICK HERE

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