Orlando Magic hope competitiveness makes practice more important

The Orlando Magic entered the season hoping to enhance their depth. That might mean the competitiveness in practice will sharpen the iron for the season.

Behind the closed doors at Amway Center, Frank Vogel is beginning his experiment.

And it really is that. An experiment of lineups. Of mixing and matching groups and finding the combination and thing that works best for a team that has never played together. It is an experiment of rotations and where everyone will eventually fit on this team.

The Orlando Magic made sure this summer to change their roster. They wanted to add depth and improve the overall play. They had been trying to do that for two years.

The reason is simple: Have the best competition in practice and the team will be ready for competition during games that count. The Magic have struggled with their depth and creating that competition — true competition — in practice.

“I think for everyone, not only for us bigs, every drill no matter what we do, everybody goes hard at each other,” Nikola Vucevic said. “It brings the best out of each other. Whatever drill we do, we want to win. It’s good. That’s how you bring competitiveness out of guys. That’s how you bring the best out of guys. That’s how you improve.”

The first week of Magic practice is in the books. Two-a-days are done. The Magic are ramping up toward games and a semi-normal schedule. Preseason games are not a bench mark other than a public display of what the team is otherwise working on behind closed doors.

They provide little clues to what happens. But are still taken with a grain of salt.

This year though everything in October takes on added importance. For the first time in the Magic’s rebuild, nothing seems guaranteed. Positions are up for grabs.

Maybe not really up for grabs. The Magic have some young players they certainly want to feature and they are invested in for the long term. Despite their youth and relative inexperience — certainly in meaningful games — those players are still the team’s core for the future.

But seemingly in each instant, there is someone behind them who can adequately push them. The Magic should feel like they can go nine or even 10 players deep. Possibly even more with C.J. Watson falling behind D.J. Augustin and C.J. Wilcox and Jodie Meeks pushing for that bench sharpshooter role.

The Magic are extolling their depth and the competitiveness that will bring to practices. The hope is the Magic will be more ready than ever because the competition in practice will make them better when they enter games.

“We see that as a real strength of ours — the depth and versatility of our front court,” Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. “With Serge and Biz and Nik, we feel like all those guys complement one another. We think that will sort itself out with playing time by how they are playing individually and how they play collectively. Depth is a strength and versatility is a strength that we will have to rely on this season.”

The center position has taken a lot of the focus when it comes to internal competition. The entire summer it seems was spent discussing how Vogel would split minutes between his front court options. The Serge Ibaka–Nikola Vucevic–Bismack Biyombo debate is going to rage throughout camp.

Regardless who wins that position battle, the consensus is having players who can adequately challenge starters in practice while cheering them on during drills and games should make the Magic better. That is the going logic at least.

That will make this year’s training camp that much more critical.

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Depth not only helps the team withstand injuries — the Magic are experimenting with Bismack Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic playing together, but a lot of that may be because Aaron Gordon is still not cleared for contact drills and Serge Ibaka was held out the last two days with knee soreness — but also should help sharpen iron with iron.

Having Vucevic go up against Biyombo every day in practice — as opposed to the raw Dewayne Dedmon — will make him a better player in the long run. Each player seemingly has that player who can help push them throughout camp and the practices ahead.

Elfrid Payton has D.J. Augustin. Aaron Gordon has Jeff Green. And on throughout the roster.

“I think it’s great to have somebody at your position pushing you,” Vogel said. “There’s going to be some healthy competition and positional battles. The mindset is to push each other and pull for each other at the same time.”

The players seem up for this challenge too. The talk before practice began was how excited they were for the competition that would come in practice.

Even after the first few practices, that intensity seemed apparent. But nobody will know just what value that will bring until the team goes out and plays again.

Until then the Magic are hoping practice can bring the best out of each other and the fruits of those labors emerge when the games start counting.

The Magic want players who will feed off this competition and improve with the battles that happen in the practice gym.

If the Magic do find success this season, it will happen because of the improvements that occur in practice. The Magic have the depth to handle it this year. And they hope the competitiveness to take that next step.

“That’s where it starts in practice,” Aaron Gordon said. “If you don’t have the competition in practice, you aren’t going to get out on the court and do what you need to do. To be competitive in all areas and all aspects at each position, it’s going to make us better as a team. We have so many weapons.”

Next: Frank Vogel brings positive approach to Orlando Magic

That competition will continue throughout the season. That is the hope at least.

Orlando Magic practices more important with competition

By Philip Rossman-Reich | Oct 1, 2016

The Orlando Magic entered the season hoping to enhance their depth. That might mean the competitiveness in practice will sharpen the iron for the season.

More from Orlando Magic Daily