There was not much Jamahl Mosley needed to say after the Orlando Magic’s 120-105 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
The one thing that has defined this Magic team for four years is the Magic’s effort. It is an unassailable part of their identity.
What has been happening more often in the last few weeks is simple: The Magic are getting outworked.
After getting run out of their own building on Friday night, Mosley’s message was simple:
“The bottom line: Charlotte came in here and kicked our ass,” Mosley put it bluntly after Friday’s game. “There is no other way to put it.”
This is not who the Magic are supposed to be. Their whole vibe is centered on their intensity and effort, particularly on defense.
They may not be able to hit shots consistently, but they will make life hard for anyone they go up against. They secure rebounds, force turnovers and finish with force. They dictate every term of engagement.
That has not always been the case lately. Orlando struggled with many of these during the team’s four-game road trip, salvaging two wins despite late giving up large second-half leads. The team was due for a comeuppance.
Those trends and those bad habits finally came to roost as Orlando was left wondering how to pick up all the pieces.
Concerning trends
The Charlotte Hornets won all the hustle categories in Friday’s win.
The biggest was their 25 second-chance points on 16 offensive rebounds. Orlando managed only 11 on its 16 offensive rebounds.
Jamahl Mosley put it simply: The Hornets wanted the ball and went out and got the ball. They deflated any positive defensive momentum by extending possessions and converting on second-chances.
That attitude spread throughout the rest of the game.
“There is no excuses, they just wanted it more,” Mosley said after Friday’s loss. “We thought we could outjump versus sticking to the fundamentals, putting a body on a guy, coming back in and helping rebound before we got to the offensive end. You have to finish a possession first before you get out on the break.”
The Hornets were far more aggressive offensively, making 19 of their 39 3-pointers (48.7 percent) and posting a 123.7 offensive rating, marking the fourth time in six games the usually stout Magic have given up more than 120 points per 100 possessions. They have eight such games this season after totaling only eight all of last season.
Charlotte got to the line for 28 free throw attempts compared to Orlando’s 23. The Magic outscored the Hornets 46-42 in the paint, but the Magic made only 41.8 percent of their shots in the paint, going 23 for 55.
Those misses only fed frustration and kept the Magic from finding their footing, allowing the Hornets to hit them in the transition.
The worst part is that none of this is the norm for the Magic. It has become the norm in the last five games, since that NBA Cup loss to the New York Knicks. Being outworked has become far too comfortable.
Orlando dropped to sixth in the league in defensive rebound rate at 71.0 percent after Friday’s loss. But the team still remains one of the best rebounding teams in the league. However, the Magic are 23rd in defensive rebound rate at 66.4 percent in the last five games.
Orlando is fourth in the league, giving up 13.6 second-chance points per game. But the team ranks last in the league, giving up 20.8 per game in the last five games.
The Magic are now 10th in the league in defensive rating at 113.1 points allowed per 100 possessions, but are 25th at 118.6 in the last five games.
These are trends that go against the team’s identity and type. Things the Magic should be able to correct but have lost.
Effort is identity
Effort is essential to the team’s identity and it seems to be the thing that is slipping most in recent games. This was not the first game Orlando failed to meet its standard or identity.
Orlando knows it can and must play better. Efforts like this are as puzzling as they are inexcusable with the goals the team hopes to achieve.
Jamahl Mosley is calling for the team to hit somebody. He is calling for the team to reestablish its trademark physicality. This is not something he usually needs to ask.
“Honestly, I think this has been going on for a couple games with the loose balls and teams just out-toughing us,” Anthony Black said after Friday’s loss. “I think we have got to figure out how to look in the mirror and get tougher and play hard.”
The question is why. The question is whether this is a troubling trend that can easily be squashed or something permanent the team will have to live through as they wait to get healthy.
The reality is that Orlando has started to develop some bad habits — or perhaps this is simply a repeat of the struggles the team experienced in its 1-4 start, which had everyone panicking that never truly went away.
And there is simply nothing to do to fix an effort issue other than to play with more effort.
“We’ve just got to trust ourselves, trust one another,” Desmond Bane said in the locker room to reporters Friday. “I thought there were times tonight when the ball didn’t bounce our way. But I think we’ve got to trust and play fast. It all starts on the defensive end with us.”
This is not who the Magic want to be. This is not who they have been for most of the season. Jalen Suggs’ injury and absence have played a role in dropping the team’s intensity. But that does not quite explain it fully.
Black said it is confusing why this seemed to slip.
The good news, then, is that it has only been five games. These are not habits yet. And identifying the problem, or getting this wake-up call, can help them resolve it.
For the Magic, they need to find answers. Everything for them springs off their effort. That is what makes it so puzzling that it is missing and inconsistent right now.