Summer League helped lay the foundation for Orlando Magic’s identity

The Orlando Magic wanted to see strong performances from several key players this Summer League. They also saw the beginnings of their foundation form.

At one point in the middle of the second quarter, the shooting percentages between the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder were almost as wide as the score.

Orlando, a team that had struggled throughout the entire week in Las Vegas offensively, was sitting at 30 percent. The Thunder had climbed to 60 percent. And their double-digit lead, which grew to as much as 15 points in the second quarter, was a sign of all the problems the Magic had.

It was a Summer League game, after all. And Orlando held out Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba, Melvin Frazier and Wesley Iwundu. The team still had Khem Birch, Rodney Purvis and Troy Caupain manning the roster in this consolation bracket game. But they obviously do not have the same impact on a game.

Summer League is a lot about player development. It is a lot about guys going out and giving themselves a chance to make a roster. And, to some, it becomes a bit about laying a foundation.

Orlando slowly started to inch its way back.

The turnovers — 13 in the first half — started to go away and the Magic started (finally) hitting some shots. The confidence grew on that end as the did the intensity on defense that had marked this team throughout. The runouts that helped Oklahoma City build its lead in the first half disappeared.

In other words, it stopped looking like a Summer League game and started looking like a competitive game.

The Magic cut the lead to five after three quarters and it proved to be a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way.

Deonte Burton closed it out for the Thunder, driving just inside the free throw line and hitting a jumper over Chance Comanche for an 87-85 win.

It was a bitter way for the Summer League to end. Orlando went home playing the minimum five games and bowing out of the first round of the consolation bracket. They can look back at some critical mistakes — a Rodney Purvis travel on an inbounds play on the penultimate possession — but they can also be proud of the fight they showed.

Orlando saw a lot from several key players fighting for a spot on the Lakeland Magic. None more than Purvis who took advantage of some playing time score 20 points. Recent Exhibit 10 signee Braian Angola-Rodas scored 11 points, showing off his intriguing shot.

Orlando never really got its offense going all week. Not until this game, at least. The Magic hit on 16 of 42 3-pointers, a strong mark for a team that routinely shot worse than 30 percent from beyond the arc the entire game.

But that was never what this week was about. Orlando did not have its main players available for this finale. But the key goal was to lay a foundation for a particular style of play. Coach Pat Delany wanted to make sure players were playing to a standard. The standard Steve Clifford will expect when the team gathers together again in September.

Through five games in Las Vegas, no matter who was playing, a consistent them always emerged.

The team was going to play tough defense with athleticism and length suffocating teams. They would use that defense to feed the offense in transition and try to create mismatches. Everything else, this roster was simply not built to accomplish. The shooting was that bad throughout the week.

Success for Orlando in Friday’s finale came when the team took care of the ball — a hallmark of Clifford-coached teams — and got down and defended. That helped the Magic cut into the lead and give themselves a chance to win the game. That is all anyone can ask for.

This was also the theme that carried throughout the entirety of Summer League.

Everyone gushed over Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba whenever they were on the floor together. The duo was among the many major storylines of the week — inspiring several national articles about their potential. They made the Magic’s future look extremely bright.

But they were not the only ones to embrace this budding identity.

Melvin Frazier and Wesley Iwundu both had horrid shooting numbers. But they were eager defenders and made life hard for perimeter players. Isaiah Briscoe did the same in his two games as the starting point guard.

Orlando was not scoring a whole lot in the half court or from beyond the arc. But neither were the other team.

The Brooklyn Nets needed a late run to make the opener interesting. The Memphis Grizzlies were never in the game from the moment Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba swatted Jaren Jackson Jr.’s opening shot into oblivion. The Phoenix Suns shot worse than 40 percent even in their win.

The games that mattered to the Magic this week, they won and competed with their defense first. And it was defense in a devastating, versatile, lengthy, shot-blocking, athletic way.

Even as those key players cycled out of the lineup and finished up their Summer League, the Magic kept playing with this style and this intensity. At least, they tried to as best they could. No one has the defensive instincts or impact that Isaac and Bamba could provide in this setting.

Orlando Magic

Orlando has been a team seeking an identity for a long time. Really, ever since this rebuild began. There has been little hint of one developing. The closest the team came was that forced identity it tried to have in Frank Vogel’s first year with Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo.

That clearly did not stick.

It is hard to say whether what Orlando accomplished in its week in Las Vegas will carry over. Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic are very different players than the guys who donned Magic uniforms at UNLV.

At least for this week, it looked like the Magic were building something. They had a consistent style and a consistent mode of playing. Something that gave it a chance to win almost every game. Something that was clearly identifiable and positive in the end.

Orlando saw what it needed to see from Isaac. He was more aggressive on the ball and rangy and versatile defensively. The team saw what it needed from Bamba. He got his feet wet and made his presence felt on defense.

The Magic also saw the beginnings of this culture and identity begin to form. It lasted across players and across the entire team.

Next: Orlando magic's G-League crew still looking to impress

If that carries over as much as everything else from this week, the Magic will have their foundation to begin growing again.