Orlando Magic’s veteran presence already speaking up

The Orlando Magic sought more veteran experience this offseason to buoy them into the Playoffs. Already in camp, they appear to be speaking up.

The Orlando Magic spent their first day of practice following a disappointing effort against the Cleveland Cavaliers reviewing tape.

The ritual of assessing the damage and breaking down areas for improvement is not new at any point in a player’s career. It was a necessary step for the Magic to begin righting the ship and setting the right tone for their new team.

Even the players who did not play in Wednesday’s game spoke up at various times. The issues from that game seemed to stem less from Xs and Os and more about attitude and approach to the game. The kind of mentality they will need to be successful.

And that mentality was reinforced in the people who spoke up in that session to hold their teammates accountable.

“Veteran leadership is part of what we sought out to improve on our team this summer,” coach Frank Vogel said. “Those two guys [Serge Ibaka and Jeff Green] coming in, Biz coming in and being vocal, D.J. [Augustin] coming in and being vocal. Those guys are encouraged to be leaders and they have been. It’s welcome for sure.”

The Magic are not hiding from Playoff expectations this season. Vogel reiterated following practice Tuesday the team expects to win and expects to win now. Players expect that too.

To do so the team is leaning heavily on the veterans they added in the offseason. Veterans like Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin. Even a player like Bismack Biyombo who have been deep in the Playoffs.

In that Saturday film session, they were among the players speaking up and holding their teammates accountable, echoing the message from their coaches.

“The young guys know they have been int eh league a long time,” Augustin said. “Guys like Serge and myself have been in the Playoffs before. That’s where we are trying to get. If we can give some advice or step up and say something that will help the team, it’s always important. We’ve got to take it as a great message, don’t get sensitive about it. Even if something is said negative toward you, just take it and try to get better with it.”

The Magic certainly a more veteran team this year.

Last year, the Magic’s average years of experience was 3.5 seasons. Channing Frye had the most NBA experience with nine years in the league. C.J. Watson had eight entering the season. But most of the key players and starters had no more than four (Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic).

This year, the Magic’s average years of experience is not much higher at 3.6 seasons. Take out the training camp invitees though and that number balloons to 4.6 seasons. Ibaka has seven years of experience playing a key role in the starting lineup as a key team leader for the first time in his career.

This is a different Magic team from years past with a lot more experienced and veteran voices pushing young players throughout the roster.

“Probably having more guys that are more vocal,” Evan Fournier said. “When they talk, they have credibility because they have been deep into the Playoffs. When you have Serge talk about defense, the guy went to the NBA Finals so he knows what he is talking about. I would say that is the main thing.”

Every player still takes on their own personality. Despite Evan Fournier’s prominence on offense, he said he is not going to transform into an extremely vocal player. Fournier said he is going to keep leading by example. The other players on the roster who may not have extremely vocal roles before may not do so either.

But it is certainly key for players to speak up when they have something they need to say to the entire team. That appears to be happening starting with players like Green and Ibaka, two of the most veteran players on the team and in the rotation, as the Magic prepare for the season.

“I think it’s important,” Ibaka said. “If you don’t say something, you are being kind of selfish. It is important to talk. When one person talks, the next guy is going to talk. That’s how you make a great team. If something is different, you need to talk.”

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Ibaka said there are plenty of mistakes at this point of the season. The team is still building chemistry and learning each other and their schemes. Where the veteran leadership comes in is the night following a bad game or a bad night. This is where their voice, speaking up and helping the young players correct things in practice — both by action and word — helps most.

This is the role Green has taken on. He noted he has spoken up as he sees things as the Magic try to get on the same page.

There can be directed criticism, but so far it seems like it has been constructive in building the team and making them better.

“We’re all here to help each other get better,” Bismack Biyombo said. “When you help the next guy get better, you get better.”

Right now, the Magic only have their voices and the ability to push each other in practice. This, Vogel said, is important in setting the team’s culture and mentality.

He said the real value from the veteran presence will come in games when they have the opportunity to figure things out, using their experience to correct problems without needing a timeout. That, he said is important to a good team.

And it appears to be off to a good start.

For now, the veterans on this team appear to be helping the team remain accountable to each other and grow in the right direction.

“In speaking up that year, for me it is the consistency that we all ask from each other,” Biyombo said. “We have to be consistent in practice just as much as we are in the games. Yes, we are a young group of guys, but at the same time, the NBA game there is never young, there is never old. You play and whoever plays the hardest is going to win the game. It is just to help our guys get on the same page and to make sure when we start the season, we have the right mindset.”

Next: Orlando Magic must close games early

Of course, no one knows how effective it might be until the games start counting at the end of the month.