It was easy to look at the Magic’s young roster and predict pace would be an important part of the team’s offense.
The media (yes, I am looking at me) pegged the team already as one that would get up and down the floor and try to run at every opportunity. With guards like Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton and versatile, athletic forwards like Tobias Harris, Maurice Harkless and Aaron Gordon running the wings, it seemed to make the most sense.
The reality after about two weeks of practice?
The team is indeed running. And running a lot more than they have the past two years under Jacque Vaughn.
“It has definitely been a point of emphasis in practice and the first couple preseason games,” Harkless said. “I think we have done a good job. On offense, we have got a lot of guys who can dribble the ball and bring it up the floor. We have a lot of guys who want to run and want to play fast. I think it is going to be good for us.”
It was very noticeable early on in the preseason that this emphasis on getting up the floor and getting into the offense was quicker was present. The Magic would get the ball out of the basket quickly and up the floor even on made baskets. On misses, even when a fast break opportunity was not present, the ball is quickly pushed up the floor. It is about getting those first opportunities or those secondary break opportunities while the defense is still getting set.
This has been a clear emphasis in practice. Thanks to the presence of Elfrid Payton, the team is finding it easier to score and score quickly in transition.
No more bringing the ball up slowly as the Magic are focusing on increasing their pace this year. Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The personnel fits that style of play with bigs who can run the floor and versatile forwards. As Harkless said, Tobias Harris probably runs faster than any power forward in the league. Harris can also put the ball on the floor and lead the break. As can Evan Fournier. Along with Payton and, eventually, Victor Oladipo.
It is not smart to look too closely into stats in the preseason. But it is also pretty clear the Magic want this to be their style moving forward.
“The emphasis is to get the ball out of the rim as fast as you can and get the ball up the floor,” Harris said. ” I’ve been playing mostly four, I think it helps when I’m playing the four to help me create off the dribble at the top. It helps when the guard is looking up the floor.”
Jacque Vaughn warned on media day that the Magic better be prepared to run. He has lived up to that promise.
The advantages of doing this are pretty clear. The Magic are trying to maximize the time they have with the ball and get into their free-flowing offense a bit quicker with more time on the shot clock. It can also help the Magic catch the defense while they are still setting up. Those mismatches could be crucial for a team still learning and growing together and with some offensive deficiencies to cover up.
But at this point of the preseason too, Vaughn is keeping things relatively simple. The emphasis on pace has put the focus on being active defensively and less on the offense. To this point, Vaughn said he has installed very few plays, preferring players read and react more offensively, playing on instincts more.
That is something you might favor in a fast-breaking team where, in transition, there is no set play and it is about getting a basket no matter how you have to while the offense has some advantage. Vaughn does not want the team running and taking shots uncontrollably, but increasing the pace to get into the offense quicker and relying on the team’s unselfish instincts should help generate some easier points.
“It’s a tough thing to do and that’s part of the commitment to create a tempo and create pace after makes and misses,” Vaughn said. “We have challenged ourselves to do that. it gets you into your offense quicker. It gives you a little bit of leeway if things don’t work out initially. With younger point guards, I think that’s a little bit of a help also to be able to let them settle into the halfcourt, see what’s going on, make some decisions and still have a decent amount of time in the shot clock.”
Vaughn said he was happy with the team’s carryover from practice following Friday’s win in Indiana. The team had to figure some things out defensively after struggling in the first quarter but came through with some better play. Vaughn is looking for the team to prevent lulls in the pace of the game. He wants the team to keep the same pace and the same theme throughout the entire game.
He said he continues to be honest with his players and challenged them with the things they need to work on. But he is also encouraging them as a group with the things they were successful on.
This is all part of the learning process for a team reshaping its identity this season with something of a new roster. At this point of the preseason nothing is going to be perfect. There is still something of a learning curve in trying to become a team with pace. It is a mindset the team has to maintain and create.
But it is also clear something has changed in the team’s mentality and focus. This team wants to play fast.
“The last couple years, wanted us to run, but this year it is more of a point of emphasis,” Harkless said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can do it and a lot of guys who want to do it. All we have been doing in practice is running. We’re all in shape so we should be able to run all game.
“I like playing fast, so it’s fun for me.”