With three minutes left in the first quarter of Thursday’s game between the Magic and Hornets at Kia Center, Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel missed a 3-pointer from the left corner.
Despite Orlando having four players ready in the paint to rebound, the ball ended up in the hands of a cutting Josh Green, who tipped it back to a patient Knueppel.
This time, the No. 4 pick didn’t miss and put Charlotte ahead 21-9 late in the opening frame.
The sequence was just one of many where the visiting Southeast Division foe made an extra play, hit from beyond the arc and played with more urgency than Jamahl Mosley‘s squad on Thursday night.
Charlotte, which was playing on the second night of a back-to-back, grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, notched 16 second-chance points, racked up 50 points in the paint, shot 47% from beyond the arc, and led by as many as 33 points en route to a 124-97 victory.
Whether it was another slow start that saw the Magic fall behind by 15 points after 12 minutes or a lack of energy out of the half — they allowed 35 points in both the first and third quarters — the contest had all the makings of how the team has played as of late.
So, if the Magic aren’t going to defend at a high level as the franchise has done in the past — it’s defensive rating finished top three the past two seasons — and also not execute on offense with pace and precision, what exactly is the team’s identity?
“We need one,” newcomer Desmond Bane said in the locker room after the 27-point loss Thursday. “That’s the thing that’s been the most discouraging, really since Dec. 1st. We’ve won some games but I think we’re just kind of finding ways.
“There’s no true identity to our team right now,” Bane added. “And it’s hard to win on a consistent basis when you don’t have (a) calling card.”
Magic star Paolo Banchero shared a similar sentiment.
“We’ve got to be on the same page,” he said. “It sucks that I’m saying that in January but that’s the reality. I don’t think we’ve been on the same page much this year. I just think it’s showing up with the way we’ve played, showing up with the inconsistencies throughout the season, and it’s frustrating.
“Guys in the locker room, we want to win,” he added. “But [as] I said, you can’t just say you want to win without doing anything to make it happen.”
If anyone in the Magic locker room knows the ebbs and flows of life in the NBA, it’s Moe Wagner. The Magic center recently returned to the court after missing a year-plus due to a torn left ACL and has been a part of the organization since 2020-21.
“We’re deep in the mud,” Wagner said in the locker room. “I don’t think we’ve struggled this much … as much as we do right now in my stint here. And we’re all looking for answers. But it’s also part of this profession that it’s not always going to go our way.
“And you’ve kind of got to start looking left and right, and figure it out together,” he added.
The past 15 games, Orlando’s offensive rating (111.2) was 25th league-wide while its defensive rating (116.5) was 21st, according to NBA.com. And the problems impact each other.
When the Magic miss a shot or don’t get a foul call in their favor, the team on occasion doesn’t get set in its half-court defense, which allows opponents to get easy baskets. And when they’re not forcing turnovers to get out in transition, Orlando’s half-court offense, at times, becomes stagnant.
Orlando (23-20) shot 32% from 3-point range the first three quarters against Charlotte (17-28) and was outscored 14-6 in the fastbreak that same stretch.
“I’m never a fan of saying that there’s two sides of the ball, and we’ve got to figure this out on this side,” Wagner said. “They’re connected and, generally speaking, when you look at the swag, the energy and the spirit, it just feels not up to par to our standard and we’ve got to figure that out.”
Injuries to key players have only compounded the situation.
The Magic believe Jalen Suggs (right knee MCL bruise) is close to returning but he missed his eighth consecutive contest. Earlier in the day, Franz Wagner was ruled out due to left ankle soreness.
Mosley said the soreness was lingering from the left high ankle sprain that kept Wagner out 16 games before he returned for two games against Memphis in Europe.
“He came up really, really, really sore after shootaround,” Mosley said about Wagner before tip-off Thursday. “And we’ve got to obviously look at the long-term view for how we’re dealing with our guys, and he’s one of those guys that we have to continue to look at in that situation.”
While Franz Wagner remains out for Saturday’s contest against Cleveland, Suggs was upgraded to probable, indicating his return is likely to happen sooner rather than later.
Regardless of who’s available, however, the Magic aren’t pleased with how they’ve performed.
Still, they haven’t allowed it to create division within the locker room.
“No, I don’t think that anybody has selfish intentions,” Bane said. “Everybody’s trying to figure it out and sometimes it might look a certain way, but I don’t think anybody is splintering or anything like that.
“We can talk all we want but at some point, there’s got to be action behind it,” he added.
When the Cavaliers (25-20) come to town Saturday, the Magic begin a six-game stretch against teams currently positioned to make the postseason.
“We’ve just got to be better,” Bane said. “Flat out. I’ve got to be better. We’ve all got to be better if we want to be a team that we want to be.”
Added Moe Wagner: “Regardless if we win or lose, it’s just the way we play. It’s not (a) standard we are all happy with. We’re going to figure it out.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Cavaliers
When: 7 p.m., Saturday, Kia Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida