3 takeaways from Magic vs. 76ers, as concerns raise defensively

Much has rightfully been made about the Magic offense -- or lack thereof -- through three contests. After expected improvement with Tyus Jones, Jase Richardson and, most notably, Desmond Bane in the picture, those early criticisms are well-warranted.

Following their final preseason game, however, one of my concerns was the team's lack of consistency defensively. While the Magic's defensive rating was No. 6 in the NBA heading into Monday, their efforts, rotations and activity have been inconsistent.

That continued Monday. Philadelphia's electric backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe exploded.

Maxey recorded his second 40-point game of the season with 43 points (15-32 FG), including 10 of the team's final 12 points, while Edgecombe tallied 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Both were a thorn in the Magic's side all night, either consistently creating enough separation to rise or blowing by Magic defenders (in rotation), creating myriad problems.

Not to mention, a very disruptive Magic defense -- normally -- forced just six turnovers (after one in the first half). Orlando's defense looked tighter and connected for stretches during the third and fourth quarters. But we're still waiting for the Magic to put it together for a full 48-minute outing defensively after they were a top-two unit a year ago.

Free throws have not been free

If there was one positive, the Magic, to nobody's surprise, got to the free-throw line against a smaller 76ers team with relative ease.

However, their struggles from the charity stripe continued.

The Magic entered Monday with the third-most free-throw attempts per game and the 11th-worst efficiency. They shot 27 first-half free throws -- 38 for the game. However, they weren't free -- they were costly, finishing 26-for-38 (68.4 percent).

What rings louder is the 12 misses when you lose by ... you guessed it, 12. Over the course of the game, those add up -- even if nine of those misses occurred in the first half. The Magic are playing with a thin(ner) margin for error due to their struggles -- or inconsistencies -- on both ends. There were signs of life offensively, but they must do a better job converting at the charity stripe.

Behind Banchero and Bane, the Magic found offensive rhythm in second half. Can it carry over?

Speaking of offense -- before a late 76ers run to pull away, Orlando's offense was much smoother in the second half.

It was far from perfect (3-point shooting was still poor). Though behind Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic shot 55.3 percent in the second half with the duo scoring nearly half (31) of the team's 64 points.

When you make shots, everything looks prettier. But the Magic were moving the ball better and putting the 76ers in rotation, leading to higher quality open shots that were (finally) falling.

Will it carry over to Wednesday's meeting against the Detroit Pistons?! I guess time will tell.

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