Orlando Magic’s familiarity easing transition to Scott Skiles
The Orlando Magic have begun installing principles under new coach Scott Skiles. Easing that transition is how familiar they already are to each other.
Changing coaches is never easy. It brings with it a new philosophy, new terminology, new schemes, new voices, new expectations and new roles. A lot of it this early in camp is still being determined and sorted out. It probably will not get all figured out until later in training camp and maybe not until right before the season.
And even more difficult for a coach like Scott Skiles, this is a young team. There are lots of new things to learn and many of them are dealing with a new coach in training camp for the first time in their careers. The pressure to deliver results certainly may not have ever been higher for these players.
So Scott Skiles said he would be throwing a lot at them. A lot of offensive gameplanning and schemes. A lot of defensive principles and thoughts — things that he said were easy to understand, but difficult to do.
Skiles said the team has split its work through two days of practice about evenly with the offense and defense, with perhaps a little more detail being given in the offense with all the moving pieces that come with that side of the ball rather than the principle-driven methods of his defense.
When all that is thrown at the players, Skiles takes a step back and let’s it all simmer within them.
“It’s going pretty well,” C.J. Watson said. “Just a lot of information. How we’re going to play defensively and learning a lot of the plays and trying to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the guys.”
C.J. Watson is among the few players on this team having to do double duty of learning this trainingcamp.
There are a lot of new things coming at the Magic. If there is one advantage this Magic team has as they learn a new defensive and offensive system and new coaching staff is that the majority of the players on the roster played together for much of the past two, if not three, seasons.
If there is one thing that should ease the transition, it is that the players on the Magic already have so much familiarity together.
“The fact that a lot of us know each other and are familiar with each other’s game, it helps,” Nikola Vucevic said. “But I think Coach Scott has been very patient with us. Trying to teach us the plays and the defensive sets and all. Taking his time. If we make a mistake, he won’t go crazy. He explains it over and over again. But it definitely helps if you have guys around you already know, makes it easier to learn everything.”
It is still early and the Magic are still implementing their offensive and defensive systems. They have not had to take it up against another team (that comes Saturday against Charlotte). For now, it seems Skiles is more concerned with how the team retains and soaks in information. Perfection of execution is not the primary concern two days into training camp.
It has cut down the learning curve though.
“To me, the main help with that is even though we’ve gotten to know each other from a personal standpoint this summer, this is the first couple of days we’re really at work for the first time,” Skiles said. “It’s nice they are only getting to know me. They already know each other. They already have personal relationships themselves, give or take a couple new guys. That continuity I think is important. Almost everything we’re doing is different. They are learning right now, but they are picking up quick.”
It does have something of that new team feel to it. The expectations have certainly been raised which should add some urgency and pressure to the Magic.
So if there is one thing Orlando can control it is the relationship between guys already on the roster and how they interact and play together. They should know their tendencies and should have that comfort to work together and help each other learn.
The new guys are just trying to fit in some and play catch up to that part of the group.
“Especially the guys that were here last year have a lot of chemistry together,” Watson said. “All the new guys are trying to fit in, trying to learn and trying to be the best they can be within the group.”
A lot of that will come as the team dives deeper into practice. After just two days, there is still a lot more information Skiles will be throwing at his team.
At least as a start, the Magic can rely on each other to ease the transition and prepare themselves for the season.