Desmond Bane arrived in Orlando eager to integrate himself with his new teammates.
He said when he was first introduced, how eager he was to get to know his teammates and work with them in the gym. It seemed he could sense how the conversation had changed about this team with his arrival. For a player who has been on contending teams, it seemed like he understood the plane he elevated his team toward.
So when training camp began -- and even before then during pick-up runs -- he was pushing his teammates to improve. He was already talking to teammates where to be and picking them up.
This is a very similar Orlando Magic team to the one that has made the Playoffs in each of the past two seasons. There was still not a lot of turnover despite the seismic trade that brought Bane to the team.
What has changed is the external expectations the team faces. What has changed is the experience and playoff scars they bring to the team. This is a team that knows the path to the Playoffs now and has some pain to learn from as they eye something bigger.
Their eyes are no longer bigger than their stomach when it comes to playoff ambitions.
"We have high expectations in the building," Franz Wagner said after practice Tuesday. "I felt like we had them last year already. Obviously, we have some new pieces. It's a little bit different from that standpoint. I'm confident in the group, excited to get started and enjoy the moment as well. At the end of the day, it's just basketball."
The Magic have been to the Playoffs now. They know what it takes to get there. They know how difficult it is to get back there. And they know what they are capable of doing and what they want to accomplish this season.
There is seemingly a level of seriousness around the team as they aim to advance further.
Rebuilding the team
Not that the Orlando Magic were not serious last year.
The Magic entered last season with major ambitions and confidence after their playoff appearance and plenty of desire and ambition.
That was apparent in their 116-97 rout of the Miami Heat in Miami on opening night last year. The team seemed poised for a breakout season, building upon that first playoff berth.
The injury to Paolo Banchero, just a little more than a week later, completely changed and derailed the season. The Magic were suddenly scratching and clawing for survival for the entire season.
That was a key lesson for the team throughout last season. One that they have internalized coming into this season.
Nothing is guaranteed. Everything is earned, even the team's outsized expectations.
"I think there is an understanding of what we've been through in the last two years, for the most part," coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice Tuesday. "They get what's coming their way. There is always going to be the unexpected things that happen throughout a year. This group has been prepped in a lot of ways for that. Dealing with injuries, coming off a loss, coming off a winning streak, those things are all going to happen within in an NBA season. That's the preparation these guys understand."
The whole organization seemed to take that lesson to heart.
They were not willing to blame injuries for their shortcomings or sit still and hope they have a title team. The move to acquire Desmond Bane was an aggressive push to make the team better and go deeper into the Playoffs.
Everyone feels that responsibility and is eager to meet those expectations.
Everyone has talked about the external expectations for this roster. They all insist their internal expectations are even greater. Achieving those goals is another task entirely.
"I think this year we have a pretty realistic expectation set," Anthony Black said after practice Tuesday. "Every day is working to get there and more of an understanding that we have real things we're trying to accomplish. More locked in. We've got something we're really working for so we feel confident."
The Magic's goals are clearer. How to achieve them is clearer. They have another year of experience under their belt. That also helps them focus.
It is a new day.
Ready for the challenge
That journey starts Wednesday at the Kia Center against the Miami Heat. The team knows that a championship or any of their goals can be achieved on Wednesday, it is merely the first step in a long journey.
That is a journey they have already been working on throughout training camp. That influence from Desmond Bane and others, how the team has pushed each other and trained throughout the last few weeks, is only adding up to what the Magic hope is a successful season.
Everything gets laid brick by brick for this team.
"I do believe we continue to focus on our process," Jamahl Mosley said after Tuesday's practice. "No matter what the predictions are for the end of the year, we have to start with Game 1 tomorrow. With that being said, we started with practice after practice. How are we getting better every single day to be our best come May or June."
The team is already thinking about May and June even if they know they must manage October and November first. The Magic know what their destination should be and what this team can accomplish. And they are focused on building toward that moment to achieve these goals.
To get there has taken a new level of maturity and focus. It is apparent in how the team has approached this camp.
Now, the Magic put that work to the test. They enter the season relatively healthy. They enter the season with the tools to improve.
Everyone is expecting big things.