Key Individual Stats Helping the Orlando Magic Be One of the NBA’s Elite Defensive Teams
Here are 8 individual stats helping the Orlando Magic be one of the NBA's elite defensive squads. The Orlando Magic has been one of the NBA's elite defensive teams since the All-Star break, holding opponents to a league-low 40.1 percent on contested paint shots. Since then, only one opponent has scored at least 110 points against the Magic, and in seven of the 21 games, they've held the other team to under 100 points. Jonathan Isaac, Paolo Banchero, and Jalen Suggs are among the top 10 players in the league in forcing opponents into turnovers, while Cole Anthony is among the best defenders in non-switching pick-and-roll situations. Since the break, opponents have shot a league low 38.7 percent from the field with Sugg's as the nearest defender. There have been 389 instances of Sugging up the court or past line, where he has either ended up committing the most or ending up committing a turnover.
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CHARLOTTE - Since the All-Star break, the Orlando Magic have the NBA’s No. 1 defense. Only one opponent in this time – the Indiana Pacers on March 10 – have scored at least 110 points against them, and in seven of the 21 games, they’ve held the other team to under 100 points.
Every single Magic player – in one way or another – has made their presence felt defensively. Opposing coaches have said throughout the year that it’s hard generating offense against Orlando because they just simply don’t have any weak defenders to target in one-on-one situations or in switching. The Magic’s defensive versatility is special.
Nobody is making it harder to score in the paint than Jonathan Isaac. The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is holding opponents to a league-low 40.1 percent on contested paint shots (min. 150 attempts). To better grasp just how impressive that percentage is, here’s the top 10 list among bigs (per Second Spectrum):
In isolation, Paolo Banchero is tied for No. 1 in the league in forcing opponents into turnovers. The pre-draft narrative that he was a poor defender coming out of Duke has turned out to be a complete fallacy. The players he’s tied with in this category are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and James Harden. All three have done this 16 times, per Second Spectrum. Franz Wagner, meanwhile, has done this 10 times, tied for 19th most.
Franz is also one of the best at using his blend of size, instincts and anticipation when defending drives. He has forced the second-most turnovers when guarding a drive with 49 of them, per Second Spectrum. Only SGA has forced more turnovers. Banchero has done this 40 times, tied for ninth-most.
Not many players do a better job getting over screens in pick-and-roll action and forcing handlers into tough situations than Jalen Suggs. The third-year pro out of Gonzaga ranks third in the league in causing turnovers without a switch following an on-ball screen with 1.3 of them per 100 possessions. Another Magic player excellent at making things difficult on opponents in non-switching pick-and-roll is Cole Anthony. Opponents are shooting just 38.5 percent when Anthony defends a shot after staying connected to the handler after an on-ball pick. That’s the third lowest mark among players who have defended at least 150 of these shots. Only Isaac Okoro and Jaden McDaniels rank higher.
Moe Wagner has drawn the third-most charges in the league with 24 of them. Only Brandin Podziemski (34) and Jalen Brunson (28) have taken more. But let’s keep in mind that Podziemski averages 26.7 minutes per contest and Brunson averages 35.1, while Moe averages 17.8.
Since the All-Star break, opponents are shooting a league-low 38.7 percent from the field with Suggs as the nearest defender (min. 150 attempts). Here’s how individual players have fared with Suggs as the closest defender in this time (per Second Spectrum):
De’Aaron Fox: 1-for-6
Darius Garland: 1-for-3
Scoot Henderson: 2-for-9
Jaden Ivey: 2-for-7
Stephen Curry: 3-for-7
Cam Thomas: 0-for-3
Keyonte George: 1-for-5
Against players his height or shorter (so 6-foot-5 or below), Suggs has held those opponents to 36.4 percent shooting since the All-Star break. Opponents taller than 6’5, meanwhile, have shot 47.5 percent against him (far fewer attempts).
Not many players, if any, are better pressuring handlers that bring the ball up the court than Suggs. There have been 389 instances, per Second Spectrum, where he has done this – either in the backcourt or just past the time line, which is fifth-most in the league. Of those occurrences, 34 times the ball handler has ended up committing a turnover, third-most.
Only De’Aaron Fox and Alex Caruso have forced more turnovers in these instances, however Fox, who averages nine more minutes of playing time than Suggs and seven more than Caruso, has pressured the bring-up handler 479 times, third-most in the league. Jaden McDaniels leads the NBA in most times pressuring the handler.
Since the All-Star break, opponents are shooting just 29.4 percent from 3-point range when Wendell Carter Jr. contests, per Second Spectrum. Among non-guards in this time frame with at least 30 contests, that ranks 16th and fifth among centers (Adebayo ranks No. 1).
Chủ đề: Basketball, NBA, Orlando Magic