So the Magic won 108-101 in overtime over the Heat last night in the preseason. That is not what is important though. The scores — and really stats — do not matter so much in the preseason. What we want to know at this point is what does this mean for the bigger picture.
Here is what I took away from Tuesday’s game:
1) Elfrid Payton is going to ease right in
It is OK for rookies to have nerves before their first preseason game. The competition level is a lot higher and the lights are on — even if they are still a little dimmed and the intensity is not there for the regular season — and players can get a little nervous and a little anxious about it.
Payton did not start like Aaron Gordon, but he found himself in the thick of things in Tuesday’s win.
Payton picked up two steals quickly in the first quarter which set up fast break scores (one for him and a put-back for Kyle O’Quinn) on his way to four points, seven assists and five turnovers in 32 minutes. You could see fatigue set in as he played most of the fourth quarter and all of overtime. That will come as he builds stamina in NBA games.
Even with the turnovers, something to expect from a rookie, Payton looked like he belonged on a NBA court. He was calm and controlled the pace well. He obviously has great vision on the court and is a capable playmaker already. The Magic should have him as a solid point guard option moving forward.
It will take some time for him to get into the starting lineup once the games count, but he will almost certainly get there sooner rather than later.
2) Quotable: Wins are nice
"“More than anything, it was fun. I enjoyed myself out there. I played hard. And we won. So that always makes everything better.”–Aaron Gordon, via Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel"
3) Aaron Gordon still needs some work
Gordon’s game was not as bad as his stats — six points, 2-for-6 from the floor and the free throw line, eight rebounds. Nobody’s games are like that at this point of the season. Players are experimenting with things — see the amount of jumpers Blake Griffin took last night — as are coaches.
Gordon had the extra burden of starting too and that came with some extra nerves. Luol Deng beat him on an off-ball cut on the very first play of the game. It was not a great start.
Gordon got better as the game went on though. He showed off some of his defensive potential and recovered nicely on individual plays. There was one particular play where he tried for a steal on James Ennis, missed it and recovered in time to force a very difficult fade-away jumper. This is what we want to see from Gordon and expect from him.
The offense will certainly come. He looked to be forcing things and driving kind of wildly into the paint and into defenders. He just has not gotten that speed and timing down. At least not for this game. It will come though.
4) Video: Jacque Vaughn designs a great play
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IVLO83j4dc
Vaughn takes a lot of heat, but this was just a great play design. This play works because it has several actions and outlets for the inbounder and it is executed well.
Andrew Nicholson and Dewayne Dedmon start at the top of the key and set down screens to bring both guards up to the elbow area. Devyn Marble then comes to set a flare screen for Elfrid Payton. It might have been better for Payton to set the screen for Marble because Marble is a better shooter and it would have brought a player toward the ball instead of away from it.
In either case, Nicholson quickly moves across the baseline where Dewayne Dedmon sets a great screen to free him up in the baseline. The second option is not needed and Nicholson drains the shot to send it to overtime.
5) Tempo
Tempo is a big thing everyone has talked about with the Magic this season. This appears to be an athletic bunch now with Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo and Glen Davis gone and they have to take advantage of their speed. To do that, Orlando is going to want to break at every opportunity.
It was clear very early on the Magic were emphasizing this increase in tempo. Orlando pushed the pace even off of made baskets, working to get the ball up the floor quickly and before the defense was set. It is a little thing, but it did give the Magic more time to operate in their half-court offense.
The offense appears to be a little more motion based with cutters moving toward the basket as players drive in and attack. It is still a little too early to tell.
The one thing the Magic did well though was move the ball and work for good shots and work together. This was hardly a one-on-one isolation show.
At times though, the poor shooting showed up and the game got a little stagnant. Chalk that up to first preseason game bugs.