Orlando Magic already on muscle watch, for one a bit too much

The Orlando Magic have been in their offseason now for a little more than a month and a half.

The pieces of the season are still getting picked up as the team awaits the NBA Draft and the offseason ahead. The team will still have plenty to do to reshape the roster. First of all, finding a new coach.

The offseason has already begun though. The teams that are out of the playoffs get something of a head start on their training after some much-needed and deserved vacation following this difficult season.

That can mean only one thing: Muscle watch is back on.

Orlando Magic players are already well into their offseason training and work. A few are already going on muscle watch for their work.

Everyone’s favorite game when it comes to the offseason is ogling over players’ bodies as they have the chance to build some real muscle — most players lose weight over the course of the season — and add strength to their bodies.

This is where players add to their physiques and start to look more like bodybuilders.

That may be going a bit far. But several players are expected to transform their bodies and add necessary strength ahead of training camp next year. A few already appear to be well on their way.

Mohamed Bamba is looking pretty good as he begins his work this offseason ahead of a critical season for him. He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and his contract status and his place in the league are definitely not settled despite his immense talent.

Bamba notably added 20 pounds of muscle during the hiatus before the bubble started. He was noticeable bigger before the season resumed. But a positive COVID diagnosis kept him off the court for the majority of the season’s return and followed him into the offseason.

He opted to take some of the weight he gained off before the season so he could move a little bit better. But he still struggled to find playing time or play consistently last season.

Bamba has not yet had a healthy offseason in his professional career. Those can be vital for young players especially as they look to take leaps in their game. Bamba has not had that.

Remember, he had a lingering injury after his rookie year that cut his first offseason short after missing the final quarter-plus of the season with a leg fracture.

Bamba’s time has certainly begun to run out. But with a new coach and a full, hopefully healthy, offseason there is the hope Bamba can begin to put some of the pieces together.

The one thing no one should question is Bamba’s willingness to work. And he has clearly put the work in on his body. We will wait to see what that translates on the court to.

This week also saw an update for Michael Carter-Williams.

He posted a photo of himself in the gym that turned some heads for his noticeable changed physique too.

Carter-Williams is noticeably more buff in this early photo as he gets his work in — this photo appears to have been taken in Miami but he has mixed time between Orlando and Miami, it appears.

The jokes in the comments from teammates were the noticeable part. Bamba commented, “This boutta get us all tested.” And Cole Anthony added “Roids on 100.”

Well, that either got the NBA’s notice or created a strange coincidence. Carter-Williams posted on his Instagram story the day after this photo was taken a tester from the NBA visiting him for a drug test.

That is one way to confirm Carter-Williams is putting in some work this offseason.

Carter-Williams has one year remaining on his contract and still figures to remain a key veteran for the Magic’s young rotation at either guard spot. Magic fans surely want to know if Carter-Williams is improving his shot.

But one of Carter-Williams’ goals last year was to play all 72 games, something he fell far short of. Adding strength and stamina could help withstand the knocks that constantly keep him on the injured list.

As the Magic are hoping from Bamba, the biggest leap a player makes is between their rookie and sophomore years. And that is where the Magic are excited about the strong seasons from Chuma Okeke and Cole Anthony.

Okeke has spent a lot of time in Orlando this offseason already. The Magic posted this video of some of his workouts at the AdventHealth Practice Facility:

https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1409579143386255366

These are pretty well-curated. But the Magic know Okeke will be a strong worker. And after a solid rookie season, Okeke can still grow by leaps and bounds. Especially after he regains full health following his first year back from a torn ACL.

Anthony is doing much of the same with his work. He has bounced around Orlando, Miami and New York City during his offseason. But it is clear he is putting in his work to get a lot better as he showed in this video produced by Moving Pictures.

Again, take all of these with some grains of salt. They are showing off the best of their work.

But there is no reason to think these guys are not putting their work in. And there is plenty of video evidence from them all that they are doing that work.

We can see a lot of it with our own eyes.

So everyone is now on early muscle watch as players get ready for the rest of the offseason, Summer League and training camp in September.