The Orlando Magic have always been able to count on one thing: Their energy.
They play with maddening intensity and hound opponents into the dust. They wear them down into the fourth quarter with unending energy. That is a defining feature for the Magic.
Injuries have taken a lot from the Magic this season. Missing their best offensive players has left a team scrambling to make shots and create for each other. Missing one of their best defenders has not put much of a dent on the defense.
But energy is supposed to be essential to the team.
More recently, the Magic have started to find themselves in an energy deficit. Like they are running on empty. They get frustrated with the poor shooting and letting it affect their elite-level defense. Those bad habits creeping in feel like a product of all the injuries and absences finally taking their toll on this try-hard team.
That is not an excuse. The Magic have shown they can win these games. Missing this element makes it nearly impossible.
“We don’t have those guys who are usually our energy guys with us right now,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “Right now it’s got to be collective as a team and as a group. Not just coming from me and CoJo. Everyone has a say so. We need to hear it. We feed off each other’s energy. If one person is down or not focused or anything, it tends to linger. We try to stay focused and just play.”
The Magic’s biggest absence right now might be playing without Jalen Suggs (out with a low back strain) and Moe Wagner (out for the season with a torn ACL). They were players who provided constant energy with their play and gave the team an edge and bravado. They made plays on both ends that gave the team no choice but to lift their level of play.
Orlando can play with the right energy. The team did so in the win over the New York Knicks on Monday. And when the Magic do this, they can beat any team.
But then they have games like Thursday’s 104-89 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. They did not play without effort, but they were a little lax at the beginning of the game. Anthony Edwards got into a good shooting rhythm and the Wolves staked a 29-18 lead.
With all the Magic are missing, the constant uphill climbs are difficult for this team to recover from. It is not a sustainable way to play.
And it is not that Orlando cannot come back. The team tied the game at 37 in the second quarter. But the Timberwolves reclaimed control with a 15-2 run to end the first half. The Magic never really threatened. And Anthony Edwards’ dominant dunk late in the third quarter closed the door completely.
It has only been in the last few weeks that the Magic have felt all those absences. They do not have a way to create energy, it has to be a constant.
“There was just a lull to the game and we didn’t have the energy we needed to come out,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We’ve talked about we can’t let the offense, shot making or misses impact our defense. I think that was a big portion of that first quarter just trying to generate that energy with a group of guys.”
The good news is that help is on the way. Banchero was listed as QUESTIONABLE for Thursday’s game. It is anticipated he will return Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Banchero’s presence and his ability to create offense and be a drumbeat will be a welcome addition.
Players are excited for his return. They know the impact he will make – even as he reintegrates into the rotation. That will give the team a big energy boost.
Orlando hopes a little bit of health will make the team feel like itself again.
