Orlando Magic turn from preseason excitement to opening night eagerness

The Orlando Magic know exactly what the preseason is. Everyone who has been in the league long enough knows not to put too much stock in preseason results.

Every team is focused on its own thing and its own preparations for the season.

Still, for a team that won just 22 games last year, winning four in a row and going 4-1 in the preseason brought a bit of excitement. The energy and momentum for the Magic are palpable as they look ahead to the regular season.

It is hard not to get swept up in the excitement of this limited success.

Even the team’s play style seemed different, coming with more energy and ingenuity. The Magic are a fun team — one that even national media are tabbing as a League Pass darling who may not win a ton but will provide plenty of entertainment for those looking for a game on a stray Tuesday night.

The Orlando Magic exited their preseason with tons of excitement. Now they are eager to get things going for real as they start the regular season.

The excitement though will now turn to eagerness. Because the preseason is the preseason. There is only so much a team can learn and conclude from preseason. The regular season is run differently and the pressure and results count very differently.

But the excitement that came from the way the Magic played and ended their preseason has given way to eagerness to get this thing going. Orlando players have been tied together and ecstatic, now the team has to go out and prove itself to the rest of the NBA world.

"“Our guys are really just buying into the things we’re telling them to do and how we have to approach every single game, the ability of working on getting better, competing every night, the leveling up of being consistent in a certain style of play,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Sunday. “And winning each day. These guys have done that. They’ve worked toward that every single day.”"

In that sense, the preseason was a success.

The Magic set out their goals in the offseason to “level up.” That meant reducing repeated mistakes and learning from missteps along the way. It meant encouraging and playing for each other. With how close this group seemed the latter felt like a given and it was seen throughout the preseason.

The leveling up part was the mystery. While there is still a lot the Magic can clean up — especially fouling on defense and limiting live-ball turnovers — they did get better as the games went on and the weeks went on from training camp.

That part is encouraging. But the real test will come in the regular season when the games start to count.

"“We’re starting to do the little things very well,” Jalen Suggs said after practice Sunday. “Whether that’s crashing and giving ourselves extra opportunities. The ball movement has been phenomenal. Too phenomenal at times, where guys are passing up open shots. That’s a good thing. That’s what preseason is for. You play those games to get all that out, get comfortable with the ball movement and actions, the different things you want to get to in switches and drops.”"

How much of those things get worked out before Wednesday’s opener against the Detroit Pistons will come to fruition in the final days of practice before the season grind begins. Practice time will become limited once the Magic take off for Detroit on Tuesday afternoon.

But the Magic did get to test themselves and learn a lot about themselves.

They played close games in all four of their wins (thus their less-than-impressive preseason net rating). That included sending their starters out against the Memphis Grizzlies’ starters in last Tuesday’s win at the Amway Center. Suggs said regardless of whether it is the preseason, that is a good experience to have.

Do not get it wrong, preseason excitement is good. There would be problems if fans and the team did not feel the excitement coming out of the preseason.

The team seems bought into what they are doing and the exhibition games gave the team some proof of concept that what they can do might work and lead to success.

"“Our simple fundamentals and basics are going to be hit home every single day,” Mosely said after practice Sunday. “But then their ability to execute at a higher level. Obviously, we are going to continue to talk about taking care of the basketball and defending without fouling. Those are the continued situations we’re going to have to keep looking at.”"

Winning early can be helpful for a young team’s confidence.

Their starters played well in those final two games especially. The team seemed to build and layer onto its foundation. There is still a lot of work to do for this team.

But things do change for the regular season. The sense of the games counting and the challenge changing are present within the AdventHelath Training Center.

There is a bit of seriousness to the approach. But the Magic do not want to quiet the enthusiasm they feel for the season.

"“I want our guys to be energized,” Mosley said after practice Sunday. “I want our guys to be energized by the way they are playing, the way they are continuing to lean on each other and the work they put in. There needs to be a level of energy and joy for the game. That’s what we’ve asked them to do is to compete with a level of passion and joy for each other.”"

That is going to be part of the task for the Magic. Balancing the fun and joy they bring together as a young team but keeping the seriousness of improving as a team. Orlando has a lot of goals to accomplish ahead.

This is the part of the year where that focus has to narrow and the team has to get serious about the game ahead.

The Magic are undoubtedly a team still learning and still trying to make their way. The team spent its preseason experimenting with the lineups it can use and even how they can use players. It is likely the team has not fully revealed how it will play when the games count.

Right now, the team is still focused on itself and less worried about the opponent. But game preparation does focus more on the regular season. The Magic will go over their game plan to slow down the Pistons and get into the rhythm of a game day and game prep.

There is still no hiding the excitement for what is going on. Everyone is just eager to see it hit the floor at last.