The Magic was humbled 48-40 by the defending champion Vixens in Melbourne on Monday and finds itself at the bottom of the competition after the opening round of the ANZ Championship.
The Hamilton-based side has been the best of the five New Zealand franchises for the past two years but crucial personnel changes have weakened the squad.
Silver Ferns duo Maria Tutaia and Joline Henry have moved north to play for the Mystics, while experienced defender de Bruin has joined the Steel.
Her year with the Magic is sure to provide the Steel with plenty of insight and it will be interesting to see how she matches up against the world's leading shooter, Irene van Dyk, when the teams meet in Rotorua on Monday night.
"She's strong at the back and could cause some problems for us," Langman said, adding the Steel defence looked organised in its 46-44 win over the West Coast Fever in Invercargill last weekend.
De Bruin made some telling touches and was one of the players who stood out. Langman also singled out former Australian international Megan Dehn as another player the Magic would need to keep in check.
"Megan Dehn is a huge playmaker in the Steel and her ability to link with the midcourt and put the shot up is pretty phenomenal."
Langman said her side was disappointed with its performance against the Vixens but she promised it would not be long before the Magic made its way up the standings.
"Hopefully, it is a very temporary spot. This competition lasts 17 weeks and there are a lot of games to be played between now and the final. So we are hoping to progress steadily up the ladder.
"We've had a lot of personnel changes but we get along well on and off the court and I think it is those little things which are really going to make a successful campaign."
Langman said the Vixens set the benchmark last season and will be "one of the teams to beat again".
"Obviously, we were very disappointed with the result. We played in fits and starts and individual errors at crucial times cost us.
"But there was also some really good stuff out there and really promising play that will work for us really well this season. It is not all doom and gloom."
The Steel could be without shooter Daneka Wipiiti, who fell awkwardly in the win against the Fever and has aggravated a knee injury, and experienced defender Sheryl Scanlan is still sidelined with a persistent calf injury.
