Orlando Magic set high baseline for their beginning

Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley called the team’s preseason games a continuation of their training camp preparations. What he wants to see from the team is that they understand the principles and fundamentals of what they are trying to run.

For everyone, Monday’s 98-97 preseason loss to the Boston Celtics was going to be a curiosity. There were always a lot of theories about what the Magic were going to try to do and a lot of vague references to it in training camp — coaches still always like to hide as much as they can.

There is no hiding what is on the court. And it is safe to say Magic fans liked what they saw. It is safe to say, the Magic liked it too.

"“I think they did a very good job,” Jamahl Mosley said after Monday’s game. “We talked about playing hard and sitting down and defending, we talked about sharing the basketball. Twenty-five assists on 36 shots, I think that’s moving in the right direction. We talked about hands up on closeouts. Looking at it from what I remember now, we did a good job at rim protection.”"

The Magic had their struggles as expected in the first preseason game. There were moments where the team looked a bit lost with their defensive rotations and lost shooter. But there was still a clear identity.

The Orlando Magic came out solid in their first preseason game, playing with effort and energy and holding to the principles the coaching staff sold. Now they have the hard work of building on it.

The team played hard and scrambled well to pressure the ball. They looked to attack in transition and put pressure on both ends of the ball. They moved the ball. And they were not afraid to let things fly from deep when shots were open.

This was an introduction to the team. Everyone was getting a feel for how the team was going to be. If this is the start of things for the Magic, this is a strong place for them to grow and continue to improve.

So the markers the Magic wanted to see certainly point in the right direction.

The team had a 96.1 defensive rating, doing a good job slowing the Celtics’ offense down, even if they struggled at times to corral Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown throughout the game. Orlando forced 16 turnovers for 14 points and ended up with nine fast-break points, albeit on 3-for-10 shooting.

There was plenty new about the defense too. The team was swarming and stunting a whole lot more on drivers — especially the Celtics’ two all-stars — and got plenty of turnovers off digs and traps in the paint.

There was still obviously a lot to clean up offensively. But the team’s defense is ahead of the offense at this point and seeing the Magic be able to settle in and defend in the half-court was a good sign for what this young team wants to be.

"“I think defense is everything at the end of the day,” Jalen Suggs said after Monday’s game. “Coach has been preaching on it. Defense turns into offense. That’s how you get buckets. . . . I think defensively, it’s a group effort. You can’t have one great defender and four down to pick up the slack. That just won’t’ work at all. Everyone did a great job talking and being in gaps and corralling guys. Great defensive things tonight and a lot of good technique.”"

While the Magic’s offense still had its struggles, there were several breakthrough moments.

The team had 25 assists on 36 field goals, showing the team could move the ball to get quality looks. The team hit 17 of 42 3-pointers for the game and were surprisingly confident from deep. Even Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony felt solid enough to hoist from deep, each draining 30-foot 3-pointers.

The Magic last year were a fairly conservative 3-point shooting team — 22nd in the league in attempts per game at 31.8 per game. Seeing this much of an increase in 3-point shooting certainly points to both new personnel and a different philosophy.

Anthony credited the team’s ability to break players down off the dribble and get into the paint for kick-outs to threes. Indeed, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony and even R.J. Hampton were solid at getting into the paint.

And while they may not have always finished consistently at the rim — the team went 17 for 36 on points in the paint and 3 for 10 on fast-break opportunities — those chances were there. And the 3-point shooting delivered.

That will be something to watch as the team continues to get more comfortable with its offense and continues to grow.

The other part the Magic wanted to focus on was their energy and intensity. There was certainly plenty of that as the team kept their pace up throughout the contest — the game was played at 101 possessions — and stayed into the ball and intense throughout.

There was certainly some overeagerness and plenty of nerves throughout the game, especially for the Magic’s rookies.

The team was certainly engaged with the game, giving the tell-tale energy that has been the hallmark of practice so far. That showed on the court.

And the experience of a charged and engaged Boston crowd for a preseason game certainly spiced things up too.

It is still a preseason game. But everything pointed in the right direction. Even if it was not quite ready for a full 48-minute experience.

"“Pretty much we just went against a team with two all-stars, playoff team and should have won the game,” Anthony said after Monday’s game. “It shows a lot of the work we’ve done so far. Every single day, we’ve been grinding. The energy has been amazing. We just built on that and I think we’re going to continue to build on that.”"

The hope for preseason is the Magic get better as each game progresses. They may not be able to shoot as well as they did in Monday’s game or their defense may get pulled apart by teams with more offensive weapons or their rebounding may come back to haunt them.

As much fun and as encouraging as Monday’s preseason debut were, there is still a lot to work on. And the team has to put the work in to continue improving.

This game is not the end product for this team. It has to be just the beginning. It has to be the start for what this team becomes before the Oct. 20 opener.

"“I think we did some really good things,” Bamba said after Monday’s game. “I think when times got tough, we didn’t put our heads down. That goes to our culture. I think we really made some plays. We were pretty unselfish out there. Overall, I think it’s something we can really build on.”"

The building has really just begun for the Magic.

But everyone is thrilled with where the team is starting. And there is an excitement to see what comes next.