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Orlando Magic eager to get back to health, back to work

By Philip Rossman-Reich

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 30: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks to pass the ball around Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic at the Smoothie King Center on October 30, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 30: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks to pass the ball around Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic at the Smoothie King Center on October 30, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic returned to practice Tuesday eager to get closer to fully healthy and to continue their hot play as they close the season.

Rookie Jonathan Isaac has seemingly been noticeable by his absence this year. The sixth overall pick from the 2017 NBA Draft, the player whom the Orlando Magic have pinned their hopes on has been out virtually since Nov. 11. The team fell apart since then, going from a surprising 8-4 to 18-39.

As the team returned to the floor after the All-Star Break, Jonathan Isaac became a lot more noticeable.

A lot more noticeable because he was out on the floor. And already players and coach Frank Vogel said they could tell he was out there. With his length and defensive ability he was making plays, Vogel said, only he could make. There is no denying, it would seem, his defensive impact.

The only thing missing is his conditioning and game speed. Slowly that will come too.

"“I felt great,” Isaac said after Tuesday’s practice. “Maybe a little winded toward the end. Just getting up and down, I felt really fresh. I’ve been working really hard outside of the team with Bill [Burgos] on conditioning. I definitely see the need to go down to the G-League and get my feel and mojo and stuff.”"

Isaac said he is eager to get back with the team. He has been out since Dec. 28 when he re-aggravated his sprained ankle from November. The process to return has been a slow one as the Magic tried to stabilize and strengthen his ankle. Isaac reported last week he had gained 10 pounds of muscle.

The plan, according to Vogel, is for Isaac to practice with the Magic again on Wednesday. Tentatively, he said, the team is hoping to have him play under a minutes restriction with the Lakeland Magic in at least one of their two home games this weekend.

It appears he is inching closer to a return. And as he returns, the Magic will begin to look very different. Because other players are starting to come back too.

The Magic’s spirited first practice back from the All-Star Break saw Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic continue making their progression from practice. Vogel said both are on track to return Thursday against the New York Knicks.

The Magic team that went into the break is going to be different than the one coming out of it.

"“People step up,” Aaron Gordon said. “Mario is playing great. Hopefully, he can keep that up. That will be a big help. D.J. is playing awesome. People are stepping up big. The ball is moving. We just have to close games out now. That’s what I saw. We’re in games, we just let them slip out of our hands.”"

Integrating new players — plus the All-Star Break in between — is inevitably going to lead to a few hiccups and adjustments. The Magic will have to change a little bit with Nikola Vucevic rejoining the lineup.

Vogel said Orlando has run few post ups since Vucevic went out and so they will reintegrate that back into their offense — according to NBA.com, the Magic have run the sixth fewest post-ups in the league this year. Vucevic is obviously an adept player in the post and that is a big part of his arsenal. Orlando hopes to play off his passing ability in the high and low post when he returns.

But having Marreese Speights in the lineup should help the team continue playing with pick-and-pop big men.

Vucevic said the team will have to focus on its defense. It has been up and down this year. Establishing a defensive mentality will help the team grow to the end of the year and beyond. That was his big concern as the team got back to practice.

The macro stuff will take shape as the season winds on and gets started again Thursday. On Tuesday, the concern was more on getting in the gym and getting back to work.

Vogel said he had some worries about deconditioning with no players participating in the All-Star festivities. He feared they might lose some of their game speed out of the break. The Magic left workout plans for each player to try to keep that conditioning up. But obviously, they had no control over whether the players did them.

Vucevic said he usually takes a trip during the All-Star Break. But he opted to stay in Orlando and continue his rehab, saying he was already out too long. He did not need the rest. He wanted to get back into the game.

"“I’m very eager,” Vucevic said. “I don’t think I will feel it until the actual game day when it gets closer. I did try to stay positive throughout the whole process. It just needs to take time to heal. The fact I could so some stuff — run, lift, do some one-handed stuff — it helped me.”"

There seemed to be no complaints coming back from the break. The Magic were full bore getting back into the swing of things.

As for the goal for the final 25 games this season? That part remains simple.

Vogel said his goal is for the Magic to continue trying to win games and build the kind of winning culture and habits that his team will need for ultimate success.

He said in staff meetings they point out how much last year’s (relatively) strong finish helped kickstart the team this year. He said if not for last year’s 8-16 finish, including a win on the final day of the season that moved Orlando from fifth-best odds to sixth-best odds at winning the Lottery, the team would not have gotten off to the 8-4 finish this year.

The team still has a lot to improve, but there is still something to build on for the future with the remaining games. And the players want to build that as much as the coaches.

"“I want to continue to build a winning program,” Vogel said. “These things take time. They can be derailed with setbacks like the injuries that we have had this year. The system development on the defensive end and the offensive system development has to continue to take place. We have to build a culture that consists of winning habits. We have to have an extra-pass culture here. We need a rim-protection mindset, which hasn’t been good enough this year. We’ve got to build those habits.”"

That will all be things to consider as the season winds down. The Magic are simply hoping to get back healthy at this point. That is a start for the team.

The finish to the season though will see the team slowly get healthy again. And as the Magic returned from the All-Star Break, a glimmer of hope restored from some needed time off, the excitement seemed there again.

The Magic are almost whole.

"“It’s going to help us a tremendous amount,” Isaac said. “I felt really great today because the energy was there. Everyone was in really high spirits to see everyone back on the court. Everyone was going really hard. I think this is our time to see what we can do.”"

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That is all the Magic can hope for in these final games. Of course, the second day back from practice is often harder than the first when the good vibes and energy wear off.