Where Is The Elite Orlando Magic Defense?

Going into the season the Orlando Magic were penciled in as a top 5 defense. After one week of the regular season, the defense has not been up to the standards for the young upstarts.

A majority of the NBA community expected a leap from the growing core in Orlando this season. A lot of those expectations were due to the optimism that their offense would finally catch up just a fraction to their defense. One week and a 1-3 record have left more questions than answers for the Central Florida team.

The offense started off on the right foot against the Miami Heat in their opening win. That win, however, did mask a lackluster defensive performance. The Magic needed every last bit of a great offensive output that has eluded them since. The Heat racked up 125 points before the Magic eventually gathered enough stops and rebounds to squeak out the victory.

But those types of shootouts are not who the Magic are underneath. While they do want to push the pace on offense; they don't want their defense to suffer at the expense of it. Orlando sits as the 10th fastest team so far this season but their defense lies right in the middle at 15th in terms of DRTG [defensive rating].

Those stats are not what Orlando wants to see. They want to be an elite defense that can push pace off rebounds or steals. Being a middle-of-the-pack defensive team would be okay if this were the mid-00's Phoenix Suns. But Steve Nash and Mike D'antoni aren't the ones leading this Magic team. Orlando has built its reputations off of being an elite defense that bullies you and makes you feel them for all 48 minutes of game action.

That nastiness and toughness has not been there the way we're accustomed to over the past few years. Perhaps it is the players adjusting to the amount of energy they have to exert on the other side of the floor. This, in return, leaves the team with slightly less in the tank for when the opponent has possession. There is an adjustment and learning period we need to understand that comes along with implementing drastic changes to a young team that isn't used to playing this way.

As the season moves on the players and coaching staff hope that the balance will be found. They don't want to lose track of who they are and what made them such a feared opponent. Or else once you lose sight of your strengths and who you are, it could be too late.