By Josh Cohen
Sept. 16, 2015
The Magic are one of very few teams in which all five guys on the court at any given time can be effective playing in transition. In the play featured below, Evan Fournier (with possession), Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris all race forward to prevent the Cavaliers from getting back on defense. Nikola Vucevic, an underrated center when it comes to playing at a faster pace, is ahead of the field and becomes the beneficiary of a fast break dunk. WATCH:
Most of the Magic’s players can beat their opponents in a foot race. They tend to be faster and more agile. In the play featured below, the Thunder think they are about to prevent a fast break and force the Magic to reset the offense. OKC’s Semaj Christon and Mitch McGary are back to contend with Elfrid Payton. However, Aaron Gordon trails the play and outruns Frank Gaines to complete the alley-oop jam. WATCH:
When they aren’t stagnant, the Magic are excellent at creating mismatches. And with mismatches comes an opportunity to utilize superior athleticism. In the play featured below, Harris and Gordon cross over one another and force Chicago’s defense to make a switch. Against the slower Nikola Mirotic, Harris can take him off the dribble and maneuver around him for an easy bucket. WATCH:
The Magic were at their best offensively last season when they pushed the pace and played a more up-tempo style. In the play featured below, Payton gets a quick outlet pass from Vucevic, which doesn’t allow the Hornets to set up their defense. Oladipo notices no Charlotte player is protecting the paint and he storms ahead to catch the lob from Payton. WATCH:
A big weakness for Orlando last year was its 3-point shooting. This allowed opponents to sag off Magic players on the perimeter and make it more difficult for Orlando to break down defenders off the dribble. The addition of Mario Hezonja may drastically change that. In the play featured below, OKC recognizes it must stay up on Hezonja to prevent him from getting a good look from 3-point range. But considering Hezonja is so electrifying off the dribble, he can explode to the basket if a defender plays up too tight. WATCH: