Orlando Magic coach Scott Skiles is not expecting his team to come out at camp and get everything right away. He is hoping the team takes to his scheme.
It is almost time for the season to start. All the planning and discussion. All the hard work and skill improvement. It finally gets laid bare and the puzzle pieces fit together with training camp opening Saturday at Amway Center.
Every Magic player, except Evan Fournier who is expected in Thursday after Eurobasket ended for him Sunday, is in town and they have been scrimmaging and working out together for much of the past few weeks. They all seem ready to go.
So too does Scott Skiles.
The first-year Magic head coach has been preparing his practice and training camp plans for this critical time in the Magic’s development. The first week, especially, will be important as he lays the foundation for the program he wants to build.
Skiles has put a lot of expectation on this team. He said during his introductory press conference back in May he believes the Playoffs and a .500 record should be a goal for this team.
Initially, though the goal will simply be getting the bare necessities down. It will be about how the team improves and takes to his coaching and philosophy that will determine how successful they will be. And so for now, it is about “progress, not perfection,” as he told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel in a brief Q&A before media day Friday and training camp’s start Saturday:
"OS: From the opening day of practice, you’ll have a almost month before the regular-season opener. What would make that month a success?Skiles: One of the things we’re talking to guys about already is just “progress, not perfection.” We want to come in after Day One, Week One, the second week — and our games are now mixed in there, our exhibition games — and we want to feel like we’re making progress and we’re moving in the direction of understanding what we’re trying to do. I don’t have any fear that the team’s not going to play hard. These guys are going to play hard. [I want to see] that we’re just really internalizing and understanding how we want to play on both sides of the ball."
Skiles is hoping for general improvement from his team.
He has no doubt they are ready and willing to work. He has watched the players work out at the Amway Center as they came through and have now gathered there in preparation for the season. What will have to happen is learning and understanding of principles as he gets the opportunity to work with them as a team through practices.
What that looks like? Skiles is still being a bit vague.
But he did tell Robbins that he hopes the defense dictates things to the offense, forcing them into the areas the defense wants. That means stopping dribble penetration among a lot of things and forcing ball handlers to areas where the Magic can swarm and put pressure with help behind them.
Offensively, Skiles said he hopes the team plays with pace. This does not necessarily mean they are constantly running or pushing the ball. It means more that he hopes the team plays quickly, getting the ball up the floor quickly and making the defense work through cutting quickly and fast decision making.
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The good news is, as Skiles relates, he has been impressed with everyone’s conditioning entering camp.
That might be pre-camp cliche, but it is something good to hold on to for a team that is going to be learning a lot.
What is clear from Skiles is that he has a specific vision for how he wants his team to play. And, on top of that, he has a team that is talented enough and willing to work. Whether they take to that scheme. . . that is the question for the next month.
And for the next month as the Magic prepare for the season, Skiles wants to see them quickly grasp and take to those concepts.