Orlando Magic Media Day: Orlando Magic want more in 2020

After making a playoff appearance last year, the Orlando Magic are eager to return and do more. Whether they can will be a product of the work they put in.

For 15 teams in the playoffs, the season ends in disappointment. They walk off the court as losers, left searching for answers as they came up short from the ultimate goal.

The fuel for the next season is born from the failure of the previous one. And everyone fails except for one team.

It is what a team does with that failure that determines what happens next. Whether that team grows and gets closer to that ultimate dream or struggles and falls back into the pack.

The Orlando Magic all had some story from walking off the court after Game 5 against the Toronto Raptors last April. They were not seemingly satisfied by their playoff cameo despite a seven-year postseason absence. The starry-eyed, inexperienced Magic took some hard lessons.

The team felt disappointed and hungry to prove themselves again.

"“It was bittersweet,” Terrence Ross said. “It was good to get there, but it sucks to lose. Especially the way we did. I think that’s what fuels us to work hard to get back to where we were but also to play well and make it a better series. I think that’s kind of what we want to play for and that’s what’s going to make us better.”"

As the 2020 season gets set to begin with training camp Tuesday, Magic players repeatedly shared this sense of hunger and confidence. Making the playoffs was a good thing, but the team has not reached its ceiling. It is important for them to know that.

It is vital to their growth if they are going to be more than first-round fodder.

Last year, the Magic had a historic season, going from 25 to 42 wins and going on a 22-9 run to play themselves into their first playoff appearance in seven seasons. The team completely changed its outlook and seemingly its trajectory in just a few weeks.

It was a reason to celebrate. For the first time in a long time, there is confidence in this Magic team and proof of their potential.

But there was still that missing piece. That playoff defeat overshadowed everything.

For a team that seemingly accomplished so much, they talked about the season like their work was not done.

It goes back to the simple message coach Steve Clifford preached throughout the season — most publicly after the team clinched its playoff spot. The team has to want more. It cannot be satisfied or rest on its laurels. All the work begins again.

"“If we want to do that, the best mindset we have to have is to have a good training camp,” Clifford said. “A big part of the growth that we made last year and the fact that we took a step was because we did it day by day. I think guys understood that the key to this league is to start here and get to here. That’s what we did.”"

Clifford said the Magic’s growth really came because of the work they were willing to put in.

The energy the team had throughout the offseason seemed to suggest they put in that work — whether it was Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba putting on weight or Markelle Fultz’s work to recover from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

The eagerness for this season is born out of the taste of the success they got last year, the work they put in and the belief they can win at even greater levels moving forward.

Everyone understands that a playoff spot is not a given for this team. It will take a lot of work and attention to detail on a day-to-day basis to reach even that baseline goal. Nobody is taking that for granted.

Clifford said he wants to keep the focus on the here and now, using training camp to get the team ready for the regular season.

But the group is not starting from scratch. They return the same roster and same coaching staff from last year. They hope this will give them a kick start and allow them to take advantage of their early-season schedule while other teams are still figuring themselves out.

To do that, Evan Fournier said the team has to remember what made it successful during that 22-9 run last year. That starts on the defensive end, where the Magic finished eighth overall in defensive rating and were the best defensive team in the league after the All-Star Break.

The team has to have the same spirit and mentality to succeed. And then do a little bit more when the lights get brighter.

"“I think losing to the Raptors helped us because the Raptors showed us what championship intensity is like,” Evan Fournier said. “After Games 1 and 2, they really started to play with a different type of aggression. That was the biggest thing. It’s just a different intensity.”"

Orlando Magic

Orlando is hungry to get back to that playoff intensity again and prove themselves on that stage. The team certainly came up short in that series.

Clifford said after the series was over that he was disappointed the team did not compete better. He felt like they could have given the Raptors a more competitive series at least. Nikola Vucevic was certainly disappointed with his overall performance as were several other players.

Despite a season anyone who follows the Magic could objectively call a success, there seemed to be a feeling that this was not the end, not anywhere close.

"“I think we have a lot of potential and a lot of talent and can achieve good things,” Nikola Vucevic said. “How good can we be? It’s hard to put a number on it as far as seed-wise or number of wins. I don’t think we want to do that. We want to keep working and keep bringing it every day and every game and see where that takes us. I believe we can do better than last year, but it’s going to take more work and more dedication than it took us last year.”"

As training camp gets set to begin, the team is not setting a limit or a hard expectation for itself.

But there is clearly an expectation from the team to do more and be better than last year. They do not want to have the same feeling walking off the court in the playoffs as they had last year.

They want to feel like they left everything on the court in victory or defeat.

"“Getting a taste of the playoffs was a great feeling,” Aaron Gordon said. “We were able to put together a great stretch after the All-Star Break. We knew with a couple of additions to the team, we have a good shot to do whatever we feel like. We can achieve whatever we want to achieve as long as we are on the same page.”"

What that achievement might be is still to be determined. A story the team will write throughout the season each day this year.

But they are ready to walk that path again and work for their place in the league.