4 early-season trends worth monitoring

Jalen Duren's defense, the Magic's starting unit, and more

Been out of town and under the weather for a few days, so had to keep this one a little briefer. Let’s skip the intro, if you please.

1) +19.1

The Orlando Magic’s starting lineup has been the second-best high-minutes group in the league, outscoring opponents by +19.1 points per 100 possessions. Only the Timberwolves starters have been better.

Despite that, the Magic are a discouraging 5-6, and most of the early-season analysis has focused on the negative. The team is still bottom-five in three-point attempts and accuracy, and Desmond Bane is shooting 28% from deep (what kind of horrible shot-sucking monster do they keep in the dank, dark bowels of the Kia Center?). The defense is just 18th. We knew Mo Wagner (out for at least the next few months while recovering from last year’s torn ACL) was important, but the bench has been an abject disaster in his absence.

Like everyone else, I’m disappointed in Orlando’s start. But there are glimmers of hope. Lightning-rod star Paolo Banchero is leaning away from his weaknesses (jump shooting) and into his strengths (drawing fouls, bullying to the rim). Franz Wagner has shown signs of life from beyond the arc. And Jalen Suggs, who has looked fantastic in his brief stints, is starting to play more minutes (29 in his last game!). Relying on Suggs to stay healthy is a risky gambit, but the team will be as cautious as it can afford to be with him.

I’ve always loved what coach Jamahl Mosley has brought to the table defensively and culture-wise. And again, the starting group has been quite excellent to this point! But no team can rely on just one lineup, and the team’s offense remains stale and uncreative. This kind of (in)action happens far too often:

Still, the Magic are 4-2 in their last six and have been an above-average team on both sides of the ball in that stretch. Is that a real turnaround, or simply the product of a soft schedule? Mosley isn’t wearing fireproof pants. His seat will get hot real quick if Orlando doesn’t sustain success.

Finding ways to get Bane more three-point attempts would be a good start. There is no world in which he should be getting up just one long-ball, as he did in Sunday’s loss to the Celtics.

2) 106.2

Had a fun conversation on RealGM Radio yesterday about the exceedingly long, endlessly fascinating list of Most Improved Player candidates this season.

Despite exemplary early-season performances from guys like Austin Reaves, Ryan Rollins, Tyrese Maxey, Deni Avdija, and many others, my pick for the season so far was Jalen Duren, who has been anchoring a fierce Detroit Pistons defense. (Listen to us talk about it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or watch on YouTube here.)

I went long on Jalen Duren over the summer, but he’s been far better this year than I could’ve imagined. The scoring (19.4 points per game compared to 11.8 last season) pops off the page, but it’s the subtler defensive improvements that have Detroit singing.