The preseason is quickly coming into focus as training camp ends. The Orlando Magic made a few roster moves to prepare for the upcoming season.
The Orlando Magic have been practicing now for three days after holding their media day Monday. They are preparing for their first preseason game Monday and time will slowly tick closer and closer to the Oct. 17 opener against the Miami Heat.
The team is slowly installing its offense and defensive principles while getting their reps in on the court. No one will know exactly what this team looks like until that first game Monday.
Orlando is already making a few roster decisions. Most of them are pro forma decisions and not wholly worth noting. But still, they are important steps for the franchise organizationally.
Thursday, the Magic announced they have picked up the third-year option for Jonathan Isaac.
This is a largely formulaic move for Orlando. First-round picks get a guaranteed two-year contract with team options on the third and fourth seasons. Most players get both those options picked up before the deadline. Next year the Magic will also have to pick up that option again.
Jonathan Isaac holds a lot of promise and has been a player several teammates in camp have pointed to as performing well so far.
He appeared in just 27 games last year thanks to ankle and leg injuries that kept him out of the lineup for much of the year. Even with that, his impact defensively was incredibly clear.
Isaac put on 15 pounds of muscle to try to improve his body. The hope is he has expanded his offensive game some to go with his natural defensive abilities. Orlando has high hopes for him.
Fans will get their first chance to see Isaac on Monday when the Orlando Magic take on the Philadelphia 76ers in their preseason opener. But they can see him and the team in person the following day at the Amway Center.
The Magic also announced they will host their annual open practice Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Amway Center. Fans can download tickets to the event online at orlandomagic.com/practice.
The practice is not a hard practice and the team will likely do some light scrimmaging. But it is a great chance for fans to get introduced to the team.
Orlando will have at least one new player on the training camp roster than when they started.
The Magic appear to have added one more player on an Exhibit 10 contract, signing Devin Davis to a contract. The team cut Gabe York, who reportedly had signed an Exhibit 10 contract. At this point, it seems certain that both players will end up with the Lakeland Magic next year.
Davis averaged 10.9 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Houston Cougars last season. He transferred from the Indiana Hoosiers after his freshman year. The 6-foot-7 forward is a tweener in that he fits the profile of a smaller power forward rather than a perimeter-centric small forward.
Predictably, Davis has long arms and good length for a player his size. He is a good mid-range jump shooter and defender. But he has to expand his range.
He is another player who seems like he fits a type for this front office and has some untapped potential. Davis will have a lot of work to do to get there.
The rest of training camp is the start of that process. The Magic will give him a look in Lakeland.
It is just a few days into camp, but there is still plenty going on with the Magic.