Orlando Magic’s continuity not taken for granted

The Orlando Magic have had a lot of coaching turmoil the last three years. Some continuity on the bench is not something the team is taking for granted.

By the end of the first week of training camp, Nikola Vucevic was a bit tired of answering the question everyone wanted to know. The big driving storyline of the first week of the season.

The unspoken advantage that everyone has taken for granted at countless other franchise. But for the Orlando Magic — and their four coaches in three years — it was not something anyone could take for granted. It was a question that needed to get asked again and again.

What is different about having the same coach for consecutive seasons? Does that truly give the team an advantage?

"“It helps us be more familiar with the work he wants us to do,” Nikola Vucevic told Orlando Magic Daily after Friday’s practice. “We know the offensive and defensive sets. It helps for the guys who are returning, they are already familiar and it comes back. I went home and played for the national team, but I came back and all the plays I already knew them. It’s much easier to play and get the feel for it and get the guys who are new together.”"

Vucevic said the familiarity has helped the Magic progress a little further than perhaps they did this time last year in training camp. It helped him, at least, prepare for the physicality of practices and Coach Frank Vogel’s physical demands even as he played for the Montenegrin National Team most of the summer.

That knowledge of what to expect has almost certainly helped the team though. Vogel said it was clear the familiarity was boosting the Magic, even as he tried to go through his defense and offense like it was the first time for the new players. It has also helped Vogel push his team harder.

Undoubtedly this has helped the team improve.

And no one is taking that for granted. Not after having a different coach in each of the last three camps and having to start from square one. The trust Vogel built with the returning players and the trust the players have in Vogel is noticeable.

And, in their view, a new advantage.

"“It’s 100 percent an advantage,” Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily at Media Day. “Every coach is different and has different expectations and requirements of how things are supposed to be done. If you are spending half your season just learning those nuances, it pulls away from what you can do as a basketball player. Hopefully, those things will be strengthened this year.”"

Orlando Magic

For the Magic’s young players, this is a new experience. Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon have never had the same coach for consecutive years in their careers. That has certainly slowed their development some. Having to spend the early parts of camp every year trying to learn a new offensive system or get used to a new coach certainly hampers their ability to grow within an offense.

Especially for Aaron Gordon with how the Magic bounced him around different positions.

Evan Fournier is in a special circumstance. This year marks the first time in his career he has the same coach in consecutive years. Even with the Denver Nuggets, he bounced around different coaches.

This is all to say, the Magic believe they can more easily get the internal improvement they need to have a successful season because of the familiarity they have with each other — coaches and teammates.

"“I think the continuity will help a lot,” Vucevic told Orlando Magic Daily at media day on Monday. “I think it’s important to have continuity if you want to achieve a positive result. It always helps when you start camp. You don’t have to start from ground zero. You have some familiarity with your teammates, the coach and what the coach expects of each player. It will also help with the new guys that came in here, the guys who have already been here can help with the transition.”"

Rookie Jonathan Isaac said veteran players have helped him try to parse through the vast amount of information a rookie has to process when coming to the league. Players have also noted that returning players have helped new players grasp concepts and hit the mark on drills. It has helped the coaching staff keep their instruction moving rather than having to repeat drills or repeat explanations.

That means the Magic can indeed increase the pace of their instruction and install more of their offense and defense.

That means they could be ready quicker to start the season. And get off to the kind of start that breeds confidence and sets them up for success.

"“I think it’s key especially at the beginning of the season,” Evan Fournier told Orlando Magic Daily at media day. “You look at a team like the [Charlotte] Hornets last year, they had a really good start of the season. They had the same coach, the same core and the same starting five. When you know the plays and what the coach wants from you, it’s easier.”"

Maybe the Hornets are not the best example. While Charlotte started the season 8-3 and seemed set for a Playoff appearance, they finished 36-46 and missed out on the postseason. But the point remains, their familiarity helped them get their season off on the right foot.

The Golden State Warriors, for instance, struggled (relatively) to start the season last year as they tried to integrate Kevin Durant into their loaded core. That kind of an adjustment is not as needed for the Magic.

As Elfrid Payton said at media day, it is difficult to learn a new system every year. Orlando has this leg up that everyone takes for granted.

Orlando players certainly believe that continuity is helping them through training camp. The coaches do too. Of course, no one really knows how good this team is until they play someone else.

"“I do [see a comfort level] and that’s exciting,” Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily at practice this week. “It is exciting to have relationships with all these guys. Last year we were feeling them out and seeing what they can and can’t do and seeing what their communication was going to be like in heat of the moment type things. I think there is a stronger trust now than last year when we were still developing all this stuff. We are hopeful we see a continuity boost this yea rnad it benefits us.”"

It may seem like a tired storyline and something that feels obvious and taken for granted. The Magic are not taking this for granted. Not after the turmoil of the last three seasons.

Next: Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Training Days

Now they just have to see just how far that trust goes as they prepare for their first preseason game.