Orlando Magic show promise and struggle as preseason ends

The Orlando Magic showed they have a lot of promise for this upcoming season. But it also displayed where they might struggle.

The next time the Orlando Magic take the court, it will count.

There will be no more do-overs and no more time to experiment or figure things out on the fly. Mistakes will come with consequences. The intensity will get ratcheted up.

Coach Steve Clifford said he wanted to see his team have more purpose of play and look a bit more like themselves as they entered their final preseason game.

In some respects they did. In others, they did not.

That is the nature of the preseason sometimes. Teams are still trying to get their bearings and get themselves straightened out. Everyone is at different places and trying different things.

The Orlando Magic were trying to get themselves right in this final preseason game. In a 107-98 loss to the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic certainly did plenty of things they need to clean up still before Wednesday’s opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Still, it was hard to ignore the good parts.

Did the Magic look more like themselves? Yes, they did.

"“It’s been disjointed because of health,” Clifford said. “That happens some years. These guys are super talented and they can get themselves going quicker. Tonight was a lot better than the last two games. Night and day better. You can’t turn the ball over like that. Hopefully, we can clean that up by Wednesday.”"

Indeed it was a whole lot better than the blowout losses to the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. The team was engaged and attacking. The defense was swarming. It really did look like Magic basketball.

With Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross back in the rotation after missing the last game (Nikola Vucevic also missed the previous game before that), Orlando saw just how fragile and difficult it can be for them if they are not whole.

Just having those players back provided a good spark. Orlando was able to move through its offense. More importantly, the team’s defensive energy picked back up. The team was getting after it and deflecting the ball.

Vucevic scored 14 points in the game, adding six rebounds. Evan Fournier had a team-high 16 points, making five of his eight shots and dishing out four assists.

Things seemed to flow better and the Magic were able to move their offense with some fluidity, even turning their defense into offense. Miami committed 23 turnovers for 23 Orlando points.

The issue still remained Orlando’s turnovers. The Magic committed 22 turnovers for 23 Heat points. Several big ones came in the third quarter that helped the Heat create come back in the game after the Magic took a little lead and then create some distance.

Clifford said the team made poor decisions throughout the game. Some of them were players passing ot the wrong spot. There is still some chemistry and rhythm within the offense the team needs to get.

The good news is that players believe this is something completely within their control.

"“It’s something we can control, which is good,” Fournier said. “We just have to really focus on that. I thought we played pretty good, but it was turnovers and getting back on defense. Executing offensively was decent. The defense was decent outside of transition. It’s just those two areas where we weren’t good. It’s something we can change tomorrow. We just have to focus on that and be more aware.”"

Orlando’s biggest struggles have come because of these turnovers and the transition opportunities they create. The team’s defense has been pretty good when it gets set and their length can really take over.

For every negative element, there seems to be a positive element that the team is confident it can correct to counteract it and near eliminate it. Orlando can hang its hat on its defense and can see the benefit of running off that. In the half-court, at least, that is where the team can feel confidednt.

There are a lot of positives to draw from the rest of the preseason.

Markelle Fultz looks like he can attack the paint at will and has great vision to kick back out. Jonathan Isaac is a hawk defensively, able to cover ground — Evan Fournier even joked that Jonathan Isaac is somehow longer this year with his defensive presence.

Or even something like Mohamed Bamba‘s ability to spread the floor. There were moments for everyone.

But there was also plenty to look at too. Whether it was Mohamed Bamba’s continued struggles to rebound and defend at a high level. The team’s turnover issues. Or Aaron Gordon‘s struggles to shoot and finish.

There is still a lot of work to do.

"“We definitely have to tighten up our execution on defense and offense,” Aaron Gordon said. “We’ve got to figure out a way offensively that gets everyone involved and has a flow to it. And that will come. We have some time before our season opener. I know everyone will be more focused and more locked in.”"

The team is starting to come back together after injuries disrupted some of the practice. The Magic are trying to round themselves back into form.

Clifford said Sunday and Monday’s practice will be full-contact practices that will work to get the team ready for its regular-season opener. They hope that will help them round into form and play more effectively when the season tips off.

The preseason showed a lot of the promise the Magic will have this season. But overall the preseason was a struggle, showing just how much work the team has to do.

As everyone said with the work ahead of them, we will find out Wednesday just how ready this team may be.