There may not be any more ‘pats on the back’ for Orlando Magic
Jacque Vaughn has started giving his Orlando Magic team some much-needed tough love after some frustrating performances. The pats on the back are lessening.
Throughout the Orlando Magic’s rebuild, there has been a sense that winning was not always the most important thing. Smaller things mattered more in the team’s development rather than the final results of games. Coach Jacque Vaughn’s job was about keeping confidence up and emphasizing the positive rather than focusing entirely on winning and losing basketball games.
The team’s inexperienced and undeveloped roster would mean there would be a lot more losses. And that can weigh on a team.
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In that sense, even though his Xs and Os or game management acumen were not up to snuff, Vaughn did his job. Few players seemed to regress (there were a few exceptions) and none of the Magic’s important players to this rebuild seemed affected by the losing.
They all took losses hard, but they kept working and improving individually.
Year Three has been something a bit different. Vaughn has come under fire for those shortcomings, and the Magic’s disappointing 15-33 record falls squarely on him and his coaching ability to get his players in positions to succeed.
As the Magic continue to suffer through this frustrating stretch — losing 12 of 14 games — that has included an identity switch from one that focused on controlling pace and defending well to running at a break-neck speed and almost forgetting defense.
The pats on the back appear to be diminishing, as Vaughn told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, although Vaughn is not going to call anyone out individually in public:
"“It’s just not my nature to just call out a guy individually. I haven’t done it. I don’t think that’s the way you do it. Everything I tell you guys, I’ve said to that person one-on-one. And we’ve rubbed some backs and some bellies along the way, and sometimes you’ve just got to grow up a little bit. Maybe being at 15 wins we’re getting to that stage where we won’t pat and rub bellies anymore. We’ll grow up a little bit.”"
The usually composed Vaughn has broken some in recent games. He really came down hard on his team (well, comparatively) after the team lost to the Knicks last week.
Then his actions spoke louder than his words. He pulled Channing Frye for the entire second half in Memphis in favor of the more physical, defensive-minded Dewayne Dedmon.
Right now, Vaughn seems desperate to do anything he can to bring some defense to his club. Players that do not meet that call could find themselves on the bench for long stretches.
We will see how much of that message is received when the Magic return to the court. But this is a sign the team is trying to move forward beyond simple development (although that is still a goal and focus as noted in Aaron Gordon‘s limited minutes since his return despite the defensive energy he brings the team).
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