R.J. Hampton knew exactly what the Memphis Grizzlies were going to do.
That is what comes from constant harping from coaches and tape study. The game plan is clear with the Grizzlies. It is just about recognizing it and executing it.
They are a “nail help” team. That means they tend to put their help defender right at the center of the free throw line to deter any attacks to the paint or the middle of the floor.
It can be an inviting defense that ensnares unsuspecting ball handlers in a trap if they drive too deep.
Knowing what is coming and then knowing how to attack it are two different things. And that is something that takes a lot of work. It takes both the understanding of what is coming and the anticipation of what comes next.
A young Orlando Magic team is still coming together and finding comfort on the floor. As young players, the process of slowing the game down will be key to their success.
Hampton, at least entering this season, was not a player exactly known for playing under composure. If anything, the expectation with Hampton would be that he would dive head first, using his speed to try to get by whatever defense. That usually ended up in trouble.
This was even the case in Summer League.
At least for this first preseason game, Hampton showed the kind of poise and composure everyone hoped to see from him. He used his speed well but played under control to score 14 points and seven assists in the Magic’s 109-97 loss to the Grizzlies.
He looked like a whole different player. It looked like the light switched and the cliche and mythical game slowed down for him at last.
"“Slowing down was the biggest thing,” Hampton said after practice Wednesday. “I feel like I have a gift that a lot of people don’t have and that’s my speed. Just knowing how to use it to my advantage is something that I was trying to test while I was in Summer League. I had some last film sessions before this preseason game and I kind of really just knew what I was going to do. I was decisive about my decisions. I look to continue to do that and build off that.”"
Hampton said he still felt he could improve defensively off Monday’s game — defending without fouling is a major focus for the team as a whole coming off that game after giving up 34 free throw attempts.
But Hampton said he noticed he played with more control. The leap from Hampton with his decision-making — he had just one turnover — and his poise were noticeable.
He said it helped that he was playing with players like Moe Wagner, Chuma Okeke and Terrence Ross who he has shared the floor a lot. There was very little adjustment within those lineups Monday — and the stats show it considering every player off the Magic’s bench save for Chuma Okeke and Zavier Simpson had a positive plus-minus.
Familiarity certainly helped him understand where his next play would be. So as he slowed down his reading and diagnosing of the play, he could better understand where teammates would be.
This will be a storyline and a process every player on the Magic will go through.
So how does a player “slow the game down?”
This is the mystery. The phrase itself is a cliche and a common refrain to describe something intangible. There is no real insight to the process of “slowing the game down.”
Experience is the greatest teacher of course. Hampton said he played a lot in the offseason — beyond just Summer League — to try to get more experience. Some of the runs he got in were probably spurred by a difficult run in Las Vegas. But the growth was evident.
On top of that, Hampton said he watched a lot of film of his own game and the league’s top point guards, trying to pick up on things that will make him a better player. He was trying to learn how to control the pace of the game better and study was the only way to do that before testing it out on the floor.
In that way, the Magic certainly hope getting that first game under their belt gives them some tape to learn and grow. They can only hope the experience is what will help them improve off their first preseason showing.
"“It’s basically going to boil down to slowing down the pace of the game, recognizing the reads before you have to try to draw two to you getting in the gap,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Wednesday. “They’ve got to communicate with one another to talk about what they do in that timing. It’s film, it’s communication, it’s more work on the floor individually and then they have to get in the game in real-time when we get up and down and scrimmage. they have to feel that with five guys on the floor.”"
Building chemistry and that anticipation is part of the goal of training camp and that is clearly an area where the team is getting some work in. Missing two days of practice due to Hurricane Ian took away court time and it still feels like the team is playing some catch-up.
Players are learning each other and learning how they like to run pick and rolls and learning their roles. If there is some trepidation or some pause from that first game, it might have been that unfamiliarity.
That was a criticism the team had of itself was the sometimes slow decision-making and pause players had as they reviewed their preseason opener.
There is a lot to grow on and learn from as the team looks to improve in Thursday’s outing.
"“Coach told us to play with more swag,” Paolo Banchero said after practice Wednesday. “In the first game, we were kind of playing not to mess up and do everything right with the first game of us playing together as a team. We were just kind of on our tip toes trying to do stuff right. He told us just cut loose and play with swag this next game and let everything else take care of itself.”"
The Magic will have to continue putting in the work and learning where they can — whether that is by playing or on tape. And there is a lot to learn very clearly.
Things will begin to click for this team as they get that experience. With such a young group, every experience is inching closer to the light bulb turning on and the game suddenly developing clearly in front of them.