It was easy to see when Franz Wagner was getting ready to take over in the Orlando Magic's preseason home opener against the Miami Heat.
Franz Wagner got the ball in the post with Jaime Jaquez defending him, spun around him and flew by for a dunk, drawing a foul. Never mind the officials waved off the basket after the ball popped out of the rim and back in while Wagner was still hanging on it.
It was a sign of Wagner's preparedness for the season, the brief moment when he brought regular-season intensity and imposed himself on the game. Wagner scored 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter of the game, easing any thoughts that he might not be ready for the season.
Most of the Magic's key players have had those moments in three preseason games. Desmond Bane hit a three and had some dazzling assists in the opener in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Paolo Banchero went on a scoring burst over three or four minutes in the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.
What the preseason games have not shown is the team completely together and running at full steam. It feels like the team has left something on the table.
Whatever is left is likely kept behind closed doors in practices like the one the Magic had Tuesday.
That was a spirited and intense scrimmage within the team. One that at times got a little tense, according to coach Jamahl Mosley. But one that ultimately helps the team get better.
"There was a lot accomplished today," Mosley said after Tuesday's practice. "It was a very competitive, spirited practice. We talk about iron sharpening iron. Sometimes it gets hot and sometimes it gets tense. That's exactly what was needed today in our practice. It was probably the first time in many years that I have been here that it was at the level of competition or competitive edge for a great group."
If iron sharpens iron then, the Magic know that the best of what they do in camp happens behind the closed doors of the AdventHealth Training Center more than it happens in the open during the preseason games. Those might be walkthroughs compared to the intensity of practice.
As much as we have seen a lot from this Magic team in the last three games, there is a lot still happening behind closed doors.
And the team is eager about the work they have put in so far. Tuesday's practice was one the team was seemingly buzzing about as the preseason winds down.
Waiting to be unleashed
They know they do not want to let the whole thing out of the bag before the games count. And so it is important to remember that the preseason is an extension of camp. Most of the work happens in practice right now.
Desmond Bane and his adjustment to the team is a perfect example of this.
Bane has played only 27 minutes in two games, scoring 17 total points. He is shooting 5 for 13 overall and 1 for 5 from three. That is hardly the ace shooter the Magic signed up for.
But nobody is concerned. Bane has focused a lot more on his driving and playmaking -- four assists and three turnovers in two games. The team knows from its practices what he can do. And they are seemingly getting a feel for what he can do behind closed doors more.
It is an example of how the Magic are not quite showing all of their cards in the preseason games. They have a lot left on the table to develop further.
"We haven't even, especially during the preseason, we haven't even seen him scratch the surface of the player that he is," Jonathan Isaac said of Desmond Bane after practice Tuesday. "He was here throughout the summer, even today, getting up and down the floor. He is a phenomenal player and phenomenal IQ. He can really shoot it. His ability to soak up attention from a defense, we have so many guys on the floor at one time where another team they would all be focused on one guy, now we have three or four guys on the team that we have to do something specific against him. That makes it tough."
The Magic have not quite shown that so far in those preseason games. They have shown that they have multiple attackers, but it is clear they are not fully unleashed yet.
An extension of camp
Jamahl Mosley often says the preseason games are merely an extension of camp. That would suggest that camp work is as vital as what we see publicly.
The preseason games are more about experimenting with lineups and getting a feel for how to play together. Everything is building together to reach the start of the regular season.
Most of that work is happening in practice for the moment. Pretty soon, the team will unleash it on the unsuspecting league.
"The focus is on just getting better," Noah Penda said after practice Tuesday. " I think we are all competitors. Everybody wants to win and be better every day. I think we push each other to be great. Sometimes we're grown men and ego takes over. Today I think it was a little bit of ego talk, but it was great."
The Magic's practice on Tuesday was that moment. It was a competitive basketball game. Egos indeed boiled over. The team fought and competed against each other.
It is the kind of moment they can call back to later in the season when they need to find that competitive edge. It is the kind of practice that brings them together and teaches them how to play together more successfully.
That kind of work is not showing up consistently in games yet. But they will get there soon enough.