Orlando Magic’s first week offers promise, mystery

The Orlando Magic are preparing for their first preseason games after a week of practice and practice. Who they are and how they will play remains a mystery.

This site — among many, many others — spent the whole summer asking questions about the Orlando Magic. Questions the preseason and the beginning of the regular season would begin to answer.

More than anything else, the mystery that is the Magic needed to sort itself out on the floor. No statistical model or prognostication could do this team justice. They were all just guesses — educated guesses, but guesses nonetheless.

The potential for this team was evident.

Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo bring defensive promise as the Magic aimed to make the Playoffs again. Young players like Evan Fournier, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon promise to get better and improve. Frank Vogel brought gravitas to the bench.

They just needed the time to come together. Eventually they would get their chance to answer those questions.

Training camp began less than a week ago. Orlando has worked largely behind closed doors to get a new system and new teammates down. The first game arrives Monday in Memphis against the Memphis Grizzlies.

At long last, the questions will get some answers. At least in some short form. It is still preseason after all.

The game is not on TV — not in Orlando or even in Memphis. Getting information about the game is going to come down to radio feeds — listen on ESPN Orlando 580 AM, although the game may not stream online due to NBA broadcasting restrictions. The Magic will largely remain a mystery until they are on television Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (on NBATV).

The Magic’s first week of practice offered little information in the way of what to expect from this team.

Frank Vogel said the Magic would be strong on defense and worked mainly throughout the week on installing the team’s principles and rules. He said the team would get up and down the floor and play at a faster pace. Players have talked about all the running the team did.

Players have spoken generally about how several players have improved. About how boisterous and loud Bismack Biyombo has been in drills. About how other centers like Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic have been pushed to match that. And how other players have responded and stepped up.

This is who the Magic want to be. This is what they believe they will have to do to succeed.

But there has been virtually no leak or word on who has played well or who is emerging on the team. It is still just as hard to figure this team out entering the first preseason game. Anything can happen.

Then again, the first preseason game is not predictive of anything. We can only glean generalities from this week’s games.

This is only the foundation though. There is still a long way for the team to go to be ready for the regular season. Let alone a preseason game.

The team seemingly is better. From everything Vogel has reported on the team, they are making progress and working hard in practice. But still have a long way to go. Their development will be an ongoing process — not one that ends when the regular season begins.

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At the same time, they are not a full team yet. Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon have missed virtually all of training camp to this point — for Gordon, at least the contact portions. It is hard to gauge how these two important players fit in.

And, at this early stage in the season, it is hard to tell whether the Magic are really good at playing against each other or ready to play against others. That is always a concern during practices.

The Magic are answering their questions but leaving everyone who does not have a pass to watch practice in the dark. Monday and Wednesday’s games are exciting mainly for the fact those outside the Magic’s inner circle get to watch this team and begin thinking about what this team will look like.

That is normal for this time of year.

The Magic present mystery and opportunity as preseason games begin. There is still optimism and determination about the team. There is no reason to believe this is not warranted. It would be bad if the team were not optimistic about its chances one week into the season.

There are undoubtedly challenges ahead for the Magic. Undoubtedly some adversity. And undoubtedly the team will still have to answer many of the questions left for it from the offseason.

The first week was more likely than not a step in the right direction. The beginning of the Magic’s foundation.

What that is and what that means is still a mystery to everyone outside that room.

Next: Everyone loves Bismack Biyombo

This week — with two preseason games and public displays — we begin learning exactly who the Magic are and want to be. And all the hard work done in practice gets revealed to some minor degree.