The Orlando Magic need an offensive overhaul, and Sean Sweeney has the right idea on how to improve it.
Under new head coach Sean Sweeney, the Orlando Magic have a lot of things they need to clean up if they want to reach their potential.
One such area that has been a common issue for the Magic has been offensive production. Last season, Orlando finished 18th among the NBA’s 30 teams in offensive rating (114.2) according to NBA.com, which is clearly below average.
In field goal percentage, the Magic were ranked 21st at 46.4%. In 3-point percentage, they ranked 27th at 34.3%.
In assists, Orlando was slightly above average, ranking 14th with an average of 26.5 assists per game. Nevertheless, you get the picture.
So, how is Sweeney going to address this?
In his introductory press conference in June, Sweeney discussed the importance of efficiency, and he emphasized the desire to activate all five players on the floor. Moreover, he wants the team to demonstrate effective spacing, organization and discipline.
In Sweeney’s view, all of those elements will contribute to advantages for the Magic that they will want to maintain. Last season, there were several moments where the offense made mistakes because of pacing issues and stagnant actions.
With Sweeney’s philosophy, those issues have a chance to be addressed. Sweeney also highlighted the importance of intangibles and making decisions and plays that do not show up on the stat sheet. Shot quality is also a factor he wants to focus on.
We have seen the Magic be a legitimate defensive powerhouse in the past, even though last season did not bode the same results when they finished 13th in defensive rating (113.6). Therefore, if Orlando can reclaim its defensive production and revamp the offense under Sweeney, it can become a dangerous team.
It is going to take work, and that is where Sweeney's brand of communication will come into play. He is not the type of coach to mince words, but he also welcomes open dialogue with his players.
Sweeney has the vision, now it will be up to the team’s leaders and core players, such as Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, to help facilitate what their coach is trying to achieve. It will take time, but it will be beneficial in the long run.
The fact is that while defense is very important, offense cannot be neglected. Many of the Magic's issues in recent years have stemmed from their shortcomings and inefficiencies on that end of the floor, and it is time to not just patch the holes, but rebuild the structure.
