Orlando Magic eager to get back to work

Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley admitted he was a bit worried when Cole Anthony pulled out the Timberlands boots he planned to dunk in for the dunk contest.

As Cole Anthony admitted after the contest, those shoes “felt like bricks” and they do not exactly have perfect ankle support. There was a lot that could have gone wrong.

But Anthony is a showman. He was going for broke in his dunk contest appearance and was not going to hold anything back. Even in coming up short, it proved to be a good time before some needed relaxation — Anthony posted photos from his vacation to the Bahamas with his crew for his All-Star Break.

Everyone had their fun at All-Star Weekend. But now it is time to get serious again.

The Orlando Magic joined back together after the All-Star Break eager to get back to work and answer whatever questions they can in the time remaining.

Wednesday brought everyone back though as the All-Star Break came to a close and the team put its focus back on the rest of the season.

The Magic are indeed back together on the court.

"“A lot of it is to get guys back in the gym and getting together and feeling the energy and feeling the vibe of what we’re doing,” Mosley said after practice Wednesday. “Our guys did a great job of coming back in knowing with the games remaining getting themselves back in the right shape from having some time off. It’s about the camaraderie and getting in the gym and working together but having fun while we’re doing it.”"

The first practice was about getting back into rhythm and getting back into the swing of things.

The Magic still have some work to do and growth and development they want to build. Franz Wagner said the team touched on it before practice the team wants to compete hard every game and continue to push forward and grow individually and as a team.

Of course, the questions rarely centered on the guys who are returning to the court from the season before. The questions for this team have squarely focused on the guys who have not played all season now.

With a little more than a quarter of the season left to play, both Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac have yet to hit the floor.

Fultz has been practicing with the team in some capacity since December and has been slowly (emphasis on slowly) ramping up toward a return to play. Mosley said Fultz practiced in full Wednesday but the team is still seeing how he responds and how he continues to feel.

Mosley added in an interview with Luke Hetrick of Spectrum Sports 360 that Fultz looks good and is playing with pace but the team is still building up and testing his conditioning.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Isaac remains out and is doing mostly shooting drills and working with coaches where they bump him. He is not participating in the contact portions of practice yet.

The good news for the Magic on the injury front is that R.J. Hampton practiced fully with the team Wednesday. He has missed the last 15 games with a sprained ligament in his knee. He will practice again Thursday before determining whether he will return. But he seems like he is set to return to the court soon.

"“I just think it mainly let me realize and sit back and learn from the coaches and from players and from other teams and come back ready,” Hampton said after practice Wednesday. “The rehab process is long and hard. It was a lot of fun getting back today with the guys. It made me happy.”"

Mosley said he wants to see Hampton continue to improve his defense. That has been the area where he has shown the most growth.

Hampton has had an up-and-down season as he tries to find his new role. Orlando has tried to simplify some things for him — taking him out of the point guard rotation and having him focus on his spot-up 3-point shooting and defense. But they have yet to unlock his full speed and playmaking ability.

Hampton will need the time to close the season to get back into rhythm and find his place. Especially with the Magic starting to play at a faster pace and making more of an emphasis on the pace part of their offensive identity.

Orlando still has a lot it wants to accomplish the rest of the season. It may not show up in the team’s record, but the team is still trying to grow and build for the rest of the season and beyond.

The Magic have not used wins as their measure of success all season. But the team is trying to get back and rebuild the vibes and standard they have set for themselves nonetheless.

"“We’re playing for ourselves, not to impress anyone else,” Hampton said after practice Wednesday. “We want to get better as a team and an organization. No matter what the record says, come out here and compete hard every night, play together and really look forward to building.”"

There are still a lot of questions about the Magic as they begin this first season of their rebuild. The team still has a lot of work to do to get where it wants to go. And this season is about the bricks that are being laid.

Some of those questions will get some answers as this season draws closer to its end.

But the team is happy to get back to work for now.