The Orlando Magic have waited a long time to take the floor again after last year’s thrilling finish. They are eager to get things started Wednesday.
Markelle Fultz has waited a long time for Wednesday night.
As much as the Orlando Magic wanted to bring their young point guard along slowly as he rehabbed from thoracic outlet syndrome, Markelle Fultz had to admit he had opening night for the 2020 season circled on his calendar. It was a goal for him to return to the court for this moment.
Each moment spent in solitude rehabbing from the injury was leading up to a return to the court.
Fultz was looking forward to each step he had to check off — slowly ramping up his work and playing with others. Playing in the Orlando Magic’s first preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs was an important step.
Still, nothing is going to match Fultz’s return to regular-season action for the first time since Nov. 19. It feels like Christmas Eve for everyone.
"“Extremely excited,” Fultz said after practice Tuesday. “The season is here. The NBA is back. I’m just glad to be a part of it. I’ve made it through preseason. Now the next step for me is opening night. Especially to be at home in front of this crowd.”"
The NBA is indeed back.
The season tipped off Tuesday in Toronto with the defending champion Toronto Raptors defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in overtime. The Orlando Magic will open their season Wednesday at the Amway Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For Fultz, it has been a long time for him to see the floor in meaningful action. That is enough to get him excited.
For the rest of the team, it is the excitement of a season that holds a lot of promise. They all can feel what this team can do. And they want to show it in the next seven months.
The Magic made the playoffs for the first time in seven years last season. Things feel very different about the Amway Center. And there is an eagerness to get the season going to prove they can grow from that playoff appearance.
"“We believe we can be a good team this season, better than last year,” Nikola Vucevic said after practice Tuesday. “As far as how far we can go, it’s hard to tell now. As the season goes on and as we improve on certain things will dictate that.”"
Underlying everything for the Magic is that excitement and eagerness. Making the playoffs has changed the team’s perception of what it can accomplish and what it can do.
There is a new level of confidence for this team. They seem to understand exactly how they can and need to play. They understand they have the chance to win every time they hit the floor.
Coach Steve Clifford said that playoff experience has brought the team back a lot more confident in themselves. There does seem to be a seriousness about the season and what they must do. Even if that did not always show in the preseason games.
Those are not the be all end all of things. The Magic spent the last four days cleaning some things up
Even he is just eager to see the team play at this point.
"“I think for the players, they just want to play against somebody else,” Clifford said after Tuesday’s practice. “For the coaches, you want to see where you’re at. The biggest goal is to get a win. And it gives you a much clearer picture of where we’re at, what we have to work on, what we’re good at so you can start making progress.”"
The coach is merely interested in that progress check. The preseason provides only so much data points to look at. The team is not playing at full strength or with its regular rotation. So there is only so much information the team can gather from these games.
The first few regular seasons will leave teams still feeling themselves out and how to build their rotations and find their rhythm. The goal in the first few games is to establish this rhythm and be as organized as possible.
Of course, the games still count. Clifford used the example of the recent runner who hit the two-hour marathon to say yes every season is a marathon, but to win the race it takes a 26-mile sprint too.
Every game matters. There is no time to pause.
And teams are going to take the Magic a whole lot more seriously because of that playoff appearance.
"“It’s a long year,” Nikola Vucevic said after Tuesday’s practice. “We have to understand we will go through ups and downs. We have to be ready for that. Also, teams will look at us differently now and we have to be prepared for that. Take it one step at a time, game by game, play better each day and as the season goes on get better.”"
The first step is the first game. Something this team has eagerly looked forward to.
This is a much different team taking the floor than the one that started last season. This is a team that is more sure of itself and has a better understanding of the journey ahead.
The playoffs helped them realize some of their weaknesses and the team can strategize better to cover those up.
As Clifford likes to say, this team has a way of playing to be successful. And the Magic know now exactly how that can work for them. The trick will be getting back to that level quickly.
The preseason too exposed some of these team’s deficiencies and where the team has to work. That was a big part of these last practices.
"“I think it showed us what we can be good at and what we need to work on,” Fultz said Tuesday of the team’s preseason run. “It was all great. I think we learned from the mistakes that we had. I think we all believe in each other and see how good we can be. I think a lot of people are doubting us. We can be as good as we want and we’re going to work extremely hard.”"
All that hard work is going to come to fruition starting with Wednesday’s opener.
It is a moment everyone has been eager to see for various reasons. For Fultz, it seems, more than anyone else just to step out onto the court again is a reason to celebrate.
But that celebration will go away quickly, replaced with the grind of the season and the goals that lay ahead of them. Everyone just seems ready to get started.