ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic, as you probably assumed just watching them play, have the tallest team in the league. Injuries to a few of their guards have forced them to play even bigger lineups. But even so, they present enormous challenges no matter who they have on the floor because of how much length and versatility they have across their roster.
What’s most interesting, though, is that despite their collective size, the Magic do something well that normally smaller teams thrive at.
Through their first 10 games, the Magic rank near the top in total drives and total points scored on those drives. One of the main reasons for this is that nearly all their 6-foot-10-and-above players have a knack for putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket.
Orlando is averaging 24.2 shot attempts on drives per game, sixth most in the league, and 30.6 points per contest on those shots, fourth most in the association.
Against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, the Magic made 19 of their shots on drives, which is an extremely high number.
In case you are wondering which teams rank ahead of Orlando when it comes to shot attempts on drives, it’s OKC (with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander), Memphis (with Ja Morant), New York (with Jalen Brunson), Houston (with Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green), and Atlanta (with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray).
The Magic’s top two drivers are Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner – both 6’10. Wagner, per Second Spectrum tracking data, has attempted 76 shots on drives, fifth most in the league behind Morant, Young, Gilgeous-Alexander and Cade Cunningham, while Banchero has taken 61 shots on drives, 14th most in the league.
Here’s the craziest part, though. Neither are very fast, which is usually the trait top drivers possess. What they have, on the other hand, is amazing footwork, dexterity, and patience.
Of the 42 shots Wagner has made on drives, only three came following a blow-by, per Second Spectrum. He’s also good no matter which direction he goes – left or right – and he has this unique, almost Manu Ginobili-esque way of contorting his body to elude defenders on drives and make shots from awkward angles.
Banchero, meanwhile, thrives more off his big body. He’ll be just 20 years old in a week and already he’s one of the strongest players in the league. That was one of the things that made Blake Griffin so effective in his prime when he drove to the hoop. Other big-bodied forwards that were/are good scoring on drives over the last decade or so include Zion Williamson, Julius Randle, Zach Randolph, Tobias Harris, and Paul Millsap. Back in the day, Chris Webber and Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson were excellent at driving inside using a combination of skill and strength.
The big question going forward is whether both Banchero and Wagner can improve as scorers outside the paint. Neither have shot the ball well from deeper ranges so far this season.
From beyond nine feet, Banchero has connected on just 23 of his 82 attempts (28 percent), while Wagner has made 20 of his 61 attempts (33 percent).
What’s working for the Magic, nonetheless, is their ability to score in the paint. They totaled 78 paint points against the Kings and are averaging 52.8 per game this season, currently tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for seventh in the league. Banchero has so far amassed the fifth-most paint points behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Williamson, and Gilgeous-Alexander. Wagner is 12th in this category.
“It’s part of the reason for starting that group,” Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley said following Saturday’s game about the Magic’s starting bigs being able to consistently score inside. “Their ability to punish at the rim…That length is something that we’re going to continue to hone in on and make sure we continue to use to our advantage.”