Orlando Magic's identity makes path to success clearer

The Orlando Magic have a clear defensive identity for their team this season, and that is something that hasn’t been said in a long time.

Many analysts are confused about the future of the Orlando Magic, and with good reason.

They traded Victor Oladipo for a veteran in Serge Ibaka on the final year of his contract. They have a young point guard in Elfrid Payton who is trying to convince the organization he can be their starting point guard in the future. They moved their best asset in Aaron Gordon out of what most likely is his most comfortable position. And they have a logjam at the center position.

Despite all the question marks going forward, the Magic have succeeded in creating an identity that will make or break their success for the upcoming season: They want to be an elite defensive team that uses their athleticism to its fullest.

The Magic have two of the best rim protectors in the league. They have the potential to have at least one of them on the court at all times. The benefit of not allowing easy shots at the rim combined with the confidence it instills in the perimeter players makes having elite rim protection so important. The Magic have a realistic shot at a top-10 or even top-5 defense.

That is a huge positive for their hopes of making the playoffs, as 12 of the top 13 teams in defensive rating last season made the playoffs. The only team that missed it was the injury-riddled, late-game blowing Utah Jazz who ended with 40 wins, a game out of the Playoffs. They should have won about 46 games according to the Pythagorean Win Expectation formula.

Being elite at some aspect of the sport will make them relevant in the national eye, something that has not happened since Dwight Howard was still manning the paint.

As The Ringer’s Kevin Clark points out, every era of Orlando Magic basketball has had some sort of identity, including the Shaquille O’Neal–Anfernee Hardaway era and Heart and Hustle. In turn, the past four years can be considered the most boring and insignificant in Magic history. Hopefully this year puts an end to that label. There was certainly urgency to do so.

The combination of a strong identity and fun players with exciting highlights and intriguing back stories will also add to the team’s brand equity. This will increase fan interest during the season. Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo are two examples of players like that who have also built strong connections to their fans in the past. That combination will help keep Magic fans excited about this team.

The Magic look to be unlike most teams with a defensive and inside game focus because they have a lot of youth on the perimeter who will likely look to push the pace rather than wear teams down.

Coach Frank Vogel seems to have installed a fast-paced offense that will look to take advantage of the young athletes this team has. Guys like Aaron Gordon and even Bismack Biyombo, who has been effective on the fast break, will have their offensive potential maximized. The team will look to catch defenses off guard for some easy points.

The combination of strong defense and highlight blocks and dunks will garner fan interest. And in turn make the Magic more relevant in the national eye.

The future of the team may be confusing. And it remains to be seen whether ownership is losing faith in general manager Rob Hennigan. One thing seems to be clear: We know what brand of basketball to expect from this Magic team.

And that is something we have not said in quite a while.