Orlando Magic preseason games are about more than numbers, results

The Orlando Magic open their preseason Saturday. The box score is not the way to evaluate the team. Their goals are about more than the results.

Every October, Orlando Magic fans start to scramble.

As advanced as the technology is around the league and as easy it is to access games during the regular season at all times, preseason games are a little harder to find. Not every preseason game is on TV in either market. There are plenty of games that are not on TV anywhere — like tonight’s preseason opener against the San Antonio Spurs.

That leaves fans scrambling trying to get the first glimpse of their team. They want to see what the team is looking like and feed their excitement for the upcoming season.

Coaches and players can say that practice is going well. But that is still behind closed doors. A game is evidence of that hard work and the progress being made.

So many fans will clamber to illegal streams (they still exist) or dust off their radios (the game will air on 96.9 The Game in Orlando and on the Orlando Magic’s app) to get their fix for the Orlando Magic.

No fear, the Orlando Magic’s two remaining road games will be on TV on FOX Sports Florida (they will use the Detroit Pistons’ feed for Monday’s game). And then the game next Friday against the Boston Celtics will air on Boston’s NBC Sports Boston. The Orlando Magic’s preseason finale against the Miami Heat will also air on FOX Sports Florida.

That thirst for Magic basketball will soon get quenched. Just get through this first game.

Without the ability to watch much of the game — the NBA will surely cobble together some highlights after the fact cut from the arena’s in-house feed — it will be easy to get sucked into the box score as the only way to measure anything.

It is really easy to buy into box score numbers as an evaluation for any preseason game. But that is not how to evaluate these games.

Winning is still the goal in these games, but it will not be everything. Neither will be accumulating numbers. What the coaching staff wants to see as the team develops goes a bit deeper.

Coach Steve Clifford said he was eager to see how his team plays against the Spurs on Saturday. It will be a measuring stick for his team in a way. A game that will show him how the team’s approach in practice translates to the court against a new opponent.

Clifford has held the team to a high standard throughout training camp, but he has said he is more pleased with the team as their practice has gone on. He said the team is ahead of where it was last year as the team prepares for the season. But, as Clifford said Friday, that does not mean the team will be ready to play when they go up against a new opponent.

The first preseason game — and really the first few preseason games — are evaluation tools, he said.

They are more like extended practices. A way for the coaching staff to see what they still need to work on and emphasize when they can get back to practice and start correcting things.

Clifford wants to see the team implement what it has worked on in practice and do the little things — focus on getting back and staying committed defensively. Those little things matter more.

When the Magic opened practice Tuesday, Clifford was hard on the team. He criticized their organization and their purpose of play. Those are the kinds of things Clifford wants to see throughout the preseason.

Those are coaching buzz words Clifford has used throughout his tenure with the Magic. They typically refer to their efficiency in executing their offense and defense. It is about doing things the right way and staying on the same page rather than going off in other directions.

He wants to see the team working together and staying committed to their defense and to the fundamentals of the team. Those are hard to capture in a box score, especially with the starters playing fewer minutes.

It is really important to watch these games rather than rely on the box score to judge them. The aesthetics of how they are playing will matter.

But there is still value in watching the numbers. And Saturday will provide to players making their reintroduction to the tema.

The biggest intrigue for Saturday’s opener will be the debut of Markelle Fultz.

Markelle Fultz is slated to play his first game action with the Magic on Saturday and his first game action since November of last year. It has been a long journey for Fultz to get back onto the court.

The reviews for Fultz have been glowing through the first weeks of practice. Clifford said he has been impressed with how Fultz has taken drill work and applied them immediately to the scrimmages. Tracy McGrady told the media after he visited practice Thursday that Markelle Fultz looked really impressive.

Fans are eager to see how he responds to playing time and whether he can regain some of his confidence in a five-on-five setting.

Steve Clifford said he may try out some different combinations — including pairing Markelle Fultz with D.J. Augustin — and that is part of what preseason is for too. But the Magic will have their biggest focus on seeing Fultz get back into the swing of things.

The same will be said for Mohamed Bamba.

Mohamed Bamba has not played on a NBA floor since January of last season. He played in just one Summer League game in July. It has been a long time since he has been on the court.

Orlando Magic

Getting both Fultz and Bamba acclimated to the NBA game again will be vital throughout the preseason. It will be important to see them get better and more comfortable as the six games move on.

The rest of the team will also have to show this general improvement.

The team will want to see how Mohamed Bamba and Jonathan Isaac play at their increased playing weight. They will want to see if they can finesse more offense and play at a faster pace. The Magic will have their eyes keenly on their defense and defensive effort.

There are goals the team wants to accomplish as they map out how they need to play to win.

That is ultimately what matters.

And that is how everyone should view these preseason games. It is about seeing the team apply what they are working on in practice and make steady progress in their preparation. The Magic should be looking for ways to build confidence — especially for their young players — and come together as a team.

The final score for these games may not matter. Starters are not expected to play heavy minutes at least in the early games.

But how they ultimately look and the progress they make will matter more.