Jeff Weltman: Orlando Magic have winners within them

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman is rebuilding the Orlando Magic. He believes, in his limited interactions, the team has winners within them.

The preseason is a time where there is a lot of very generic statements from the team. Everything is possible and the team believes they will accomplish all their goals. The big problems that faced the team a year ago are, of course, going to get solved and the team is going to move forward in a straight line.

This is not how everything works out. Things ultimately do not go according to plan. And not everything works out exactly how everyone wants.

The Orlando Magic have stuck to their message all camp.

They have carefully avoided talking about the Playoffs directly. Coach Frank Vogel has only said the team will “have its work cut out for it” to make the Playoffs. The Magic, as they said throughout media day, are focused on improving each day for now.

It is a “process over results” mentality.

From a front office standpoint, the Magic are focused on evaluating their roster and learning about who they have so they can find a new way forward. The team also has said it will focus on internal improvement to take the next step on the court this year. But the evaluation from the front office will be the big piece to the franchise’s future.

That means every player has to prove themselves all over again to a new management group. And prove they fit into what the team will become.

Building that internal improvement and growing toward a better team is still a difficult process. Especially with so many players returning from last year’s roster, and the rosters before it. The Magic’s five-year Playoff drought, that topped off at 35 wins, does not exactly inspire confidence the team is about to become a winner.

Many, like Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel on his Open Mike show this week, will ask how does a team that has not won before build winning habits and create a winning culture? Especially when all they have known is losing?

The good news, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said, is the team is full of guys with the mindset. If not the knowledge of winning:

"“I think that as I get to know our guys, they have it in them,” Weltman told Bianchi on Open Mike on Wednesday. “I think it is in them. The answer to your question is we need to surround them with excellence at every turn. That means coaching, that means staff, that means from our analytics to our high performance to our medical to our infrastructure in the building to the technology that we are using.“This summer has been a lot of heavy lifting of bringing in new people, evaluating the way we work and putting our players in position to succeed. And obviously, it is also a lot of not-so-easy conversations about what we value as an organization, not numbers, not media claims but winning.“It’s not a quick process. It kind of is just starting to filter into your psyche and seeing this is how people around you are working every day. And turning it around that way. It’s the only way I know how to do it.”"

This might still be a bit of coach speak. The Magic and Weltman are putting out their storylines for the season. With so few changes, and so few room to make changes this offseason, the Magic had to be put themselves in a position to evaluate their roster as it is. And to make the best of it.

Certainly, they are trying to sell the players on their roster a bit more. But if the players work as hard as they say, there is no reason to doubt Weltman. The Magic should have guys who can grow into players contributing to a winning team.

The Magic have said their goal is to win and, of course, they want to make the Playoffs, but they have to use this season to evaluate their roster and begin bringing in their people.

Weltman has often described his ideal player as someone high character players and “talented players who play for each other.” He said at media day he hopes the players put their focus on their development in how they can contribute to winning and not on any individual goals.

But the Magic are also investing a lot more in the infrastructure they have around the players. That is what Magic CEO Alex Martins promised at the beginning of the summer when he hired Weltman. And Weltman has made some indications they are beginning to add to that support staff. The team hired John Hammond as general manager and David Tenney as the team’s high-performance director as the biggest signs.

Weltman is taking a lot of personal responsibility in developing this team off the court. Adding players like Jonathon Simmons and Marreese Speights who have played for championship-caliber teams. Marreese Speights played the last three years with the Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers, winning a title in 2015. Jonathon Simmons grew up and worked his way up through the San Antonio Spurs system.

It is a time for sure for several Magic players to prove they can contribute to a winning team beyond where they have been with this team so far.

Next: Orlando Magic feel confident through training camp

Weltman is, at least, publicly saying he believes the team can grow into a winning team. Only time will tell if they can pull that off.