In Game 6 alone, the Magic shot just 12 for 32 in the paint. They were 2 for 15 in the paint. Orlando averaged only 35.1 points in the paint per game during the series. The team gave up 42.6 per game.<\/p>\n
The whole series was a battle in the paint. Every inch was contested. And the Pistons stood tall with several big plays at the rim — whether it was Isaiah Stewart blocking multiple dunk attempts in the series or, despite his offensive struggles<\/a>, Jalen Duren’s presence around the basket as a deterrent.<\/p>\n It turns the Magic’s attention in the offseason to the center position and a key question: Is Wendell Carter the right cetner to anchor the team to a title?<\/p>\n Carter has been in the spotlight all season. He seemed to be the weak link in the Magic’s starting lineup. The Playoffs showed his strengths as he helped contain Cade Cunningham and bottle up Jalen Duren throughout the series.<\/p>\n But it also exposed his weaknesses, particularly as a rim protector. His 0-rebound game in Game 6 stood out as a frustrating data point in his inconsistent season and series. But Carter was a solid positional defender<\/a>. But he was unable to make plays out of his area to lift the team defensively.<\/p>\n In this case, he was solid, but not spectacular.<\/p>\n The Magic are examining a lot of things on their roster. And the team has to be cognizant too of what is working around the league. While the Magic are a strong defensive team, their lack of above-the-rim paint protection is one of the many skills they do not have.<\/p>\n Carter and Magic’s rim protection was merely average<\/p>\n Wendell Carter showed why the Orlando Magic trusted him so much throughout the playoff series. <\/p>\n His physicality in the paint with Jalen Duren was a key to the Magic being in the series. Carter has always been reliably in the right spots on defense and versatile enough to switch and extend to guard even elite players on the perimeter.<\/p>\n For as much as Carter struggled in the final games, he was a big reason the Magic were in that position to begin with. No one should discount what he did.<\/p>\n But the one thing Carter has never been particularly strong at is his shot-blocking and rim protection. While he is in the right spots to defend and challenge shots, teams are unafraid to attack him.<\/p>\n While the Magic struggled to score in the paint, the Pistons shot 54.2 percent in the paint for the series on 38.7 field goal attempts per game. The Magic’s defense certainly tightened up. But paint defense was always an issue. <\/p>\n The team averaged 50.9 points allowed in the paint per game and 27.6 field goal attempts in the restricted are per game, the seventh-most in the league. Opponents shot 66.1 percent in the paint, 10th in the league.<\/p>\n
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