Orlando Magic learning flaws as much as strengths at Summer League

The Orlando Magic had to like the confidence and energy Anthony Black was playing with.

After feeling his way through the first game before a big burst to start the fourth quarter that kept their game competitive, Black seemed determined to make his mark early. There was no holding back the sixth-overall pick this time.

And this is what Summer League is about for a young player. He needs the freedom to explore the limits of his game. And just as a team can discover what he is capable of and build his confidence, so too can they discover some of his limits. So too can he discover what he still needs to work on as he prepares for the NBA.

The Magic’s first Summer League game certainly featured the excitement and thrill of that first exposure. There were a lot of positive things to take away — and there still are even after a disappointing 108-85 defeat to the Indiana Pacers.

The Orlando Magic hit a wall in their second Summer League game as they began to understand some of the limitations of their rookies and the team they brought to Las Vegas.

But this second Summer League game laid bare some of the limitations of the players the Magic have selected and are reviewing this week in Las Vegas and how this team is restricting some of the growth they would surely still like to see.

Understanding those limitations and seeing these young players deal with adversity is certainly part of the goal too. And these games have challenged the Magic’s youngsters in that way especially going up against a Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers team with several NBA holdovers on it.

"“Those are probably going to be some of the dudes we see in the season,” Anthony Black said after Monday’s game. “It is good to get acclimated to that and the strength and speed of the game.”"

Black certainly had a more uneven game in his second Summer League outing. He scored only eight points on 3-for-12 shooting for the game overall.

He was certainly more aggressive looking for his shot from the start of the game. He was trying to get downhill more and get into his jumper. Some of his shots around the basket were not as composed and effective as before.

He also was more willing to shoot from the perimeter and it is here where the game speed and mechanics he is working on slowed down a lot. Black struggled with his shot.

Still, it was clear the kind of impact he could make. He was active defensively once again, helping lock down Bennedict Mathurin to 4-for-16 shooting. He had zero turnovers and added seven rebounds including six defensive rebounds.

Black still has a ways to go and can still greatly improve as a jump shooter obviously, but he still made an impact on the game.

"“I feel like he is someone who makes the game easier for everyone, especially myself,” Caleb Houstan said after Monday’s game. “I’m very confident in him on the ball and defensively he causes a lot of disruptions. Maybe by the stats you could say he didn’t have as good of a game but I still think he had just as good of an impact and played well.”"

That impact is certainly something the Magic are hanging onto.

Summer League coach Dylan Murphy said he felt Black was still very good defensively in Monday’s game. What he was focused on with Black is helping him understand the make-or-miss nature of the NBA and understanding what he as a player can control and keeping his effort up.

If Summer League can teach a player some of his limitations and, more importantly, how to respond to them that is just as valuable as seeing the perform well.

Dylan Murphy would not commit to seeing Anthony Black or Jett Howard in the Magic’s third Summer League game on Wednesday against the New York Knicks. But it is easy to see the value in it. Their response to a poor game would be instructive for the team.

That is ultimately something the Magic should learn. There is plenty more that both Black and Howard, who scored 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting on Monday, could use.

"“I think Jett is learning and growing and taking this opportunity to get used to the NBA,” Murphy said after Monday’s game. “He probably wanted to make a few more shots than he did. Like we talked about last time, great defensive effort, the care factor is really high and that’s all you can ask for right now.”"

The question remains how much the Magic can get out of it?

Orlando has seen plenty from the rookies along with Caleb Houstan and Kevon Harris to prepare for the season. The limitations on this roster have also fallen on a supporting cast that has not really stood out.

There are not any standout players who could fill those remaining two-way contract spots so far. And the Magic certainly will want to see who could fill those spots.

Orlando still has a lot to fight for and a lot to figure out the rest of this Summer League. A blowout loss Monday showed all the limitations of this team as Orlando gave up 48.2 percent shooting and were outrebounded 47-36 including giving up 13 offensive rebounds.

"“Our guys fought,” Murphy said after Monday’s game. “Obviously we struggled to make shots early. Credit to our group. Sometimes you can lose the thread there when the game gets out of hand. We cut the thing to 13 or 14, it felt like we could have made a run. But we played hard all the way through, that’s all you can ask for.”"

That is all the Magic can ask for and they did play harder after they faltered in the second quarter Monday. They may have gotten beat anyway but the deficit certainly would have been better if not for the poor second quarter.

Players like Elijah Hughes and Robert Baker had their moments to help the team through Monday’s game.

But there are clearly limits to the group Orlando has brought with it to Las Vegas. There are limits to the rookies the Magic are trying to develop too.

At this stage with Summer League, Orlando should be willing to find these limits and how to help their players break through them. This is all part of the learning process.