The Orlando Magic are a week away from the start of the regular season. They still have several questions to answer as the preseason turns for home.
Nobody knew quite what to expect from the Orlando Magic in the preseason. The team was largely the same from last year but had a promising finish. No one was quite sure what to make of it. Or make of the team’s general lack of activity this offseason.
Orlando had to work mostly on the margins as it looked to improve its team. Really the Magic were hoping some continuity and stability would make the Magic a better team. Any of the problems that plagued the team after the All-Star Break they could work on with a full training camp.
What the Magic have seen through three preseason games is something a bit different.
Orlando has certainly committed to a fast-break style of play that gets their athletes up and down the court quickly. The team does not seem to have missed too many beats from the end of last season. The Magic are, dare to say, entertaining to watch.
That might be too presumptuous.
Minutes are still limited for the team. The starters played into the second half for the first time all preseason in Saturday’s preseason game against the Miami Heat. No one has ramped up to their full minutes yet.
Still, things are very encouraging for the Magic even as they evaluate their roster and look ahead to the challenges ahead for the regular season.
Orlando has three preseason games left — a Texas back to back against the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs on Monday and Tuesday and a likely dress rehearsal finale against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Amway Center on Friday. Coach Frank Vogel said he will likely rest some of his starters in each of the games on the road this week.
Orlando Magic
The goal for the rest of the preseason is to continue evaluating the new guys and piece together his plans and rotation for the upcoming year.
"“Keep giving guys opportunity,” Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily about his goals for the rest of the preseason before Saturday’s game. “The new guys are in evaluation mode. I’m trying to give them as many minutes as I can in different situations and evaluate those guys. The returning guys I have a feel for what they can do. For them, it’s about just reps, and being sharp and conditioning and all those sorts of things. I’m not fully there yet. But each game I get a little closer.”"
There are still some things the Magic have to sort out in the next week before the regular season tips off. It is hard to say any of the big questions for the Magic have been answered, but there seem to be a few settled questions.
First, Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross at least seem as reliable as they were last year. They have worked themselves slowly into game shape with game reps. They know how to get themselves ready for the season and have played well.
Second, Elfrid Payton seems capable of managing and running this fast-break offense. He has helped the team go. And even though his scoring has been low to this point, he has distributed the ball well.
Third, Aaron Gordon seems ready to take a small leap in his game. His shooting has been much more consistent. And his athleticism has fit perfectly into the offense, giving him easier chances to score. In three preseason games, Gordon is shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 4 for 9 from beyond the arc.
Finally, Jonathon Simmons and Jonathan Isaac are as energetic as advertised and have helped elevate the team defensively. Jonathon Simmons especially will get after things on the defensive end and can change the game with his energetic play.
Still, the Magic have a lot to get done in the final week of the preseason before the regular season begins. In these final three games, here are the things to watch.
Can the new guys get comfortable?
The storyline for the Orlando Magic throughout training camp has been the familiarity and continuity from the roster compared to last year. Coach Frank Vogel alongside several players said the team is far ahead of where it was last year. They all seem to credit how quickly they were able to pick things up because of the familiarity on the roster.
It is clear that this exists. The Magic’s current starting lineup has worked extremely well together. And it seems this is the group Vogel will start the year with (barring any injuries the rest of the way).
The fact that unit has worked is certainly a big reason why they seem so cemented as the starting group for now. But there is also a comfort in using them. Vogel and the Magic are still getting a feel for the new players.
So are the fans, for sure.
While Vogel seems set to rest starters and veterans for parts of the next two games, he is likely going to make sure Jonathon Simmons and Jonathan Isaac, especially, get their playing time. These two players more than anyone else will play a key role for this team. Fans will clamor, at some point, for each of them to start.
The reason Simmons, at least, probably is not in that equation is simple familiarity. Vogel is getting used to how to play him.
Simmons has not been short on highlight plays. He has made an impact through the first three preseason games. His defensive intensity and hustle are absolutely noticeable with that second unit. His 10.3 points per game 40.0 percent field goal percentage does not capture what he has done. But it has shown some of his limitations.
Simmons is trying to expand his game and he is attacking off the dribble a lot more than he did with the San Antonio Spurs. But he, like so many on this team, is not super efficient in the half court. Simmons is best out in transition where he can get at a defense in retreat.
For sure, Simmons has made a major impact on the defensive end. But the Magic are learning how to get more out of him. And, yes, that likely means they are also learning just how far his game can go.
The rest of this preseason the Magic have to find those boundaries and figure out the best way to employ them. Getting Simmons some run with the starters — which is likely to happen more this week — is paramount to see just how that unit works together.
The same could be said for Isaac.
Isaac is still clearly getting comfortable at the NBA level. He is averaging 10.0 points per game on 47.8 percent shooting. His offensive role has been a bit confined, but slowly he is expanding his game. That process will continue. And the Magic will want to continue to foster that confidence through the rest of the preseason.
Can Mario Hezonja win a spot in the rotation?
Orlando Magic fans have long waited for Mario Hezonja to get his chance and to break through into the rotation. His disappointing season last year only further feeds the anxiety about the future for the fifth overall pick.
The signals coach Frank Vogel sent out regarding the young forward were that he was getting his shot to crack the rotation. He has played all the minutes off the bench instead of Arron Afflalo. Arron Afflalo did not even enter the game until late in Thursday’s game and not until the second half of Saturday’s game.
Hezonja has had every opportunity show off.
Injuries slowed Hezonja all last year. Recovering from that knee injury was Hezonja’s priority throughout the summer.
The Magic no longer need Hezonja to be “fifth-overall-pick” Mario Hezonja. They just need a useful bench player who can spread the floor with his 3-point shot. He surely had to improve on his horrid 29.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc. This was supposed to be his NBA skill.
Hezonja has been better than last year in his short preseason stint. He seems to be moving around a lot better and more active than he was all last season when he said he often felt a sharp pain in his knee throughout the season. But the production simply is not there.
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Hezonja is averaging 8.0 points per game in 17.0 minutes per game this preseason. He is shooting an icy 8 for 26 from the floor and 1 for 12 from beyond the arc. To say the least, the Magic were hoping to see Hezonja get back on track and fit into the team’s scheme. Giving him most of the playing time off the bench with the second unit was meant to be his chance to shine.
Hezonja has had plenty of time on the ball. And he has felt pretty free to try and create for himself. His decisionmaking has not been fantastic and Vogel even said he would like to see Hezonja get a little more conservative with his shot selection. But at least Hezonja has gotten the opportunity to play.
Afflalo has not played nearly as much as Hezonja in the preseason. But he came in during Saturday’s game against the Miami Heat and produced. And it is the way he produced. Afflalo is going to be reliable and consistent. Something Hezonja is not right now.
And the way Afflalo took over to finish Saturday’s game does not bode well for Hezonja’s future.
Can the Orlando Magic continue building their defense?
The big question for the Orlando Magic throughout last season focused on their defense. The team after the All-Star Break last year struggled mightily on that end, posting a 109.9 defensive rating after the break. The Magic were a bottom 10 team there last year.
The hope was the team would be able to build their defense in training camp and go from there.
Coach Frank Vogel is known for his defense. He has built some outstanding defenses throughout his career with some incredible defensive players. This Magic team does not have that kind of top-end defensive talent — although Aaron Gordon, Bismack Biyombo, Khem Birch and Jonathon Simmons all fit good defensive profiles.
Training camp is an opportunity to get a little bit better.
The Magic still have a lot of work to do defensively. The team still needs to improve its dribble containment and pick and roll defense. Orlando is still not overly proficient there. But the progress defensively has overall been good.
For whatever preseason statistics are worth, the Magic are fourth in the league with an 86.7 defensive rating. The team has been pretty good in the first quarter when teams are most likely playing their starters — 89.1 defensive rating, fifth in the league, and a stellar 105.5 offensive rating. That is not too bad.
It is also preseason. So those stats are relatively meaningless.
The Magic have had a habit of over-relying on help and collapsing into the paint, giving up open 3-pointers. That is something the team can clean up — and indeed, after giving up nine 3-pointers in the first half Saturday, the Magic made an adjustment and held the Heat scoreless from beyond the arc in the second half.
Orlando has gotten some good defensive play from Nikola Vucevic. Bismack Biyombo and Khem Birch have been active defending the rim. Jonathon Simmons is willing to mix things up defensively at all times.
There are things to like about this team defensively. No one is expecting this group to be a top-10 defensive team. But the Magic have some work to do to get their defense up to par. This is going to be a work in progress throughout the rest of the preseason and the regular season as a whole.
How do the Orlando Magic execute in the half court?
The Orlando Magic are certainly going to be running an up-tempo offense. They have shown that throughout their play so far in the preseason. It is something Frank Vogel emphasizes at every turn.
The first quarter against the Miami Heat on Saturday was the apex of what the Magic want to be on offense. They pushed the ball up the floor, even off makes, and flowed naturally into a secondary-break offense. This is how the Magic need to play.
This is how the Magic need to play.
Several players said they would like to go through a game without calling a play and just “flow” into their offense. They want to be able to get down the court and catch the defense in retreat while they are setting up. That is how they will create mismatches and offensive opportunities.
Saturday, and throughout the preseason, the Magic have struggled when they slow down and play in the half court. The second quarter in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies saw D.J. Augustin slow the pace down and run pick and roll after pick and roll with Bismack Biyombo. The same happened in the second quarter against the Heat and for much of the rest of that game after the first quarter.
This is not to single out D.J. Augustin. All three point guards — Elfrid Payton, D.J. Augustin and Shelvin Mack need to keep the pace up. That will get te Magic some easy baskets and unleash their athleticism all over the roster.
But the same problems for this team exist. They lack a consistent playmaker and scorer and they lack a lot of outside shooting. For whatever preseason stats are worth, the Magic have a 105.5 offensive rating this year, which is a fairly good number. But the team has a horrid 46.8 percent effective field goal percentage.
The team still needs to be more efficient with its shooting. That stat is likely something that will carry over to the regular season. And the Magic know they cannot fast break for the entire game. It is just impossible.
The Magic will have to continue working on their half-court offense to get ready for the regular season. It has been inconsistent, to say the least, so far. But that will be the difference between success and failure this season.
How do the Orlando Magic fill out the roster?
The Orlando Magic have 14 players on guaranteed contracts in camp. The Magic just signed Rodney Purvis to a training camp invite — although he seems likely to head to Lakeland to play in the G-League. Orlando still has one two-way slot open.
But there is still a lot of competition at the end of the roster. And a lot of players fighting for that last spot. Not to mention guys fighting for playing time.
With the Magic likely to use bench guys more heavily on the Texas back to back beginning Monday night, the end of the roster will take a special focus.
So far, it seems like coach Frank Vogel has a good handle on what players can do. But there are still some players who can separate themselves.
"“I’ve seen good things from all of our guys,” Vogel told Orlando Magic Daily. “Khem Birch has really played well. We all know what [Damjan Rudez] can do. Wesley [Iwundu] as a rookie has shown me some flashes about how he can contribute this year. Simms [Jonathon Simmons], Mario [Hezonja], Arron Afflalo, I feel good about what they can do in those positions. I feel good about our depth.”"
Depth is definitely a good thing. This is all a good problem for a coach to have. But there are real fights going on to make the roster.
The biggest standout is Khem Birch.
Birch has been able to mix things up defensively and is always active around the basket. He struggles on offense and is very similar to Bismack Biyombo in that regard. But fans have been surprised with how he has played. Birch is the kind of versatile big the Magic have sought.
But where does he fit on the roster? The team has Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo and Marreese Speights clogging the center position. It is not likely the Magic will move any of those players any time soon.
Birch’s contract should enable the Magic to turn him into a two-way contract fairly easily. But his play has impressed. It seems fans would be upset if he is not involved with the team in some way.
There is still a very real chance Damjan Rudez makes the roster. Vogel is comfortable with him and the team likes Rudez in the locker room. Not to mention, the Magic still need his shooting. For whatever it is worth.
Kalin Lucas has been OK in his time on the floor. Troy Caupain has yet to play for the Magic.
It would seem the last roster spot will come down to Birch and Rudez.
But there are plenty of other rotation decisions to get to. Like how to use Wesley Iwundu best. He may indeed spend plenty of time in the G-League this year. But there has been plenty to like with him. Like Birch, he is not afraid to mix things up defensively.
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There is plenty good to see at the end of the bench. Of course, that is the minutia of the preseason.