Tuesday afternoon, the Orlando Magic's Twitter account posted a strangely-worded trivia question about the team's defensive rating, or points allowed per 100 possessions:
(the post was subsequently deleted)
The question got me thinking: is the Magic's defense really all that bad?
The raw number--113.4 points per 100 possessions allowed, per the Magic's tweet--is certainly bad. And it is true that the raw 113.4 number is the highest (i.e. worst) in team history. But, as ever, context is key: Orlando's defense is 0.8 points per 100 possessions worse than league average. Considering the comical degree to which injuries have wrecked its season, and the personnel coach Steve Clifford has at his disposal, being within spitting distance of average should rank as an accomplishment.
Consider: being 0.8 points per 100 possessions worse than league average is only the 12th-worst mark in franchise history.
While the team's defense could use some work, offense is clearly the team's biggest weakness:
By a mile, this year's Magic offense is the worst in team history (-6.8 points/100 possessions worse than league average). The gap between this year's Magic's offense and the team's second-worst offense (1.7 points/100) is as big as the gap between second and seventh.
— Evan Dunlap (@BQRMagic) April 14, 2025
This post isn't to dunk on the Magic's good-natured attempt at Twitter #engagement (other people have already done that), but rather point out a) the importance of context in evaluating offenses and defenses across eras, especially in light of b) the league-wide explosion in efficiency over the last 30-plus seasons, and in the last seven in particular.
there's a broader discussion to be had about how the game has changed over time, one I'll let much more intelligent people get into if they want. But here's how the league's average offensive rating has changed since the Magic's inaugural season. pic.twitter.com/DRGgbiuiW3
— Evan Dunlap (@BQRMagic) April 14, 2025