Three thoughts after the Magic’s 96-93 win over the Pacers

The Magic improved to 2-0 in the preseason with another road with with plenty of positives to go along with a few things the team needs to improve on. That is what you would expect in the second preseason game.

A 99-96 win over the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday saw the Magic carry over many of the things that helped them call the first game of the preseason a success. It is hard not to call another win a success. At least for the second preseason game. There is still plenty of time to clean things up.

Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris keep rolling

For the second straight game, the Magic got solid outings from the two players eligible for that contract extension at the end of the month. That will not make the decision any easier at the end of the month. Or it is just preseason.

The important thing was the Magic continuing to get consistency from game to game and finding out just what these players can contribute this year. Obviously the Magic expected big things from both of them this year.

The two veteran players (kind of weird writing that at this point) just did their work.

Vucevic scored 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting and Harris posted 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting, making all six of his free throws. No 3-pointers for Harris this time. They both played about 22 minutes in the game.

Obviously this is not the complete team. Channing Frye and Victor Oladipo are going to take some possessions away when they return. They could also open things up for them as well. You would expect them to, actually. Right now Vucevic and Harris are the catalysts of the team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-zP-LIsaJc

The good news is that in this offense which seems to want to find the open man and will allow a player to score if he is open or catches the ball while the defense is rotating, seems to be doing just that. The ball is finding the right guy and executing well. [Thanks for the edit, StewartBrown!] They have plenty of players who can share that offensive load. In these first two games, Vucevic and Harris are showing they can carry their load when everyone is back.

Consistency is most important in this preseason. We are seeing that.

Bounce back is good too

Aaron Gordon picked up three fouls in the first quarter against Indiana. He obviously has a ton of learning to go to make it in the NBA, least of all finding a position and adjusting to the speed and skill in the NBA. He is going to have his growing pains throughout the season.

Part of those pains are going to be some fouls on defense as he finds his way. Hold on to those flashes.

What impresses me most about Gordon in these first two games is how he has not let these setbacks get to him and he continues to play hard.

Gordon had three fouls in the first quarter, then did not pick up another one the rest of the game. He was opportunistic on offense, scoring his three baskets on two put backs and then a wild flip shot as he drove to the middle of the lane. Things will come for him.

Like the Miami game, where he progressively learned to stay at home and showed off some of his defensive ability. It is there. It really is. It is just about putting it together.

For a player as young as Gordon, it is sometimes just as good that he recovers and plays through his mistakes. Everything else will come for him. Otherwise, he is still very much a work in progress.

More Elfrid

Just like Vucevic and Harris, Elfrid Payton appears to have hit a nice consistent groove in the first two preseason games. He is progressing, and possibly pushing for playing time, much faster than many of us thought.

Payton scored eight points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting, adding five assists and, more importantly, one turnover. This following his big outing against Miami with eight assists.

Payton is clearly a player that is going to make an impact pretty quickly. He still has to look for his own scoring, but he has great vision and loves to push the pace. The Magic are working on increasing the pace and Payton fits that perfectly. He really has, as Aaron Gordon said at media day, found different speeds.

Things are going to change in the regular season. But this is a very promising start for Elfrid Payton. He already has a good base to build off of.