What consequences could the Magic face if they are a Play-In team again?

Is there a better face for inconsistency in the NBA than the Orlando Magic? The season is over two-thirds complete, and they haven’t been able to stack enough days in the right direction.

Beating the Clippers in Los Angeles is nice, but the last 36 days are enough to make supporters squirm. One of their worst losses of the season came after double overtime to the Suns in Phoenix on Saturday. Another one happened 10 days earlier against the reduced Milwaukee Bucks, and the one before that was versus the Memphis Grizzlies on the big stage in London.

They are half-game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth seed, which would avoid the Play-In Tournament. Getting in as one of the top six is not good enough and should be treated the same way as a Play-In entry because low seeds don’t win titles.

Trying to go on a run coming in as a fifth seed or lower is like the fishing boat trying to get over the monstrous wave in the film, “The Perfect Storm.”

Twelve of their losses have come by nine points or fewer. Consider how their transition defense has been problematic and how they commit too many fouls when guarding. Part of the problem is they aren’t playing disciplined enough, and the other is the offense has been average at best. Injuries can’t get all the blame.

Picture how their record would look if they didn’t beat the Miami Heat four times. Their in-state rivals aren’t a fierce behemoth, but rather another mid-level outfit.

Change will come

Jamahl Mosley — Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The same team won’t come back next year unless there's a spectacular turnaround and they get to the Finals. The first to get axed could be coach Jamahl Mosley. It hasn’t gone too well for him this year, trying to prove he’s more than a gateway coach.

It was a terrible look when he complained about his team’s failure to hit shots following the loss to the 76ers on Jan. 9. Yet he was right. Consider how 90 percent of 3-point attempts taken this season have been open to wide-open. The Magic only make 32.6 percent of open 3-point shots (4-6 feet of space) and roughly average on wide-open attempts (six feet or more). Those should be practice shots for professionals, but perhaps the expectations are too much for some of the players.

A failure could also start the internal discussion of whether or not Paolo Banchero is the guy. It’s fair game, too. He hasn’t been an outside threat and is inefficient outside of three feet from the cup. An extra shooter next to him would help, but it won’t change how he’s guarded since teams insist on making the paint the top priority.

Given the state of the new collective bargaining agreement making it hard to keep teams together for extended runs, a serious chunk of time will have been wasted if they end the year as the fifth seed or lower. What’s left of the season should offer a fair reading on how potent Banchero can be, but no one on this team should get too comfortable about their place on it if the season goes up in flames.