Inevitably, we reach the point of Summer League where I, an Orlando Magic blogger who covers every minutiae of the team, try to claim that the games where none of the players who are even sniffing the roster play is somehow a statement of the team's culture and identity.
Even when the players on the floor are not players anybody sees getting an invite to camp -- maybe not even to Osceola's camp -- there is some residue of who that team will be.
You could tell a Jamahl Mosley team on the floor and the ideas they instilled in their Summer League camp. His fingerprints and the identity and culture he helped build were all over everything they did and the energy they brought to the game.
As eager as everyone was to see Jase Richardson and Noah Penda prepare for their sophomore years, the purpose of this Summer League was to get some curiosity filled on what a Sean Sweeney team will look like.
There is obviously the expectation to compete on defense. That part is not going away and remains essential to everything the Magic will try to do. So too was the speed and intensity they played at throughout the week in Vegas.
In the Orlando Magic's Summer League finale against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, they got sucked into a game that was fast-paced and full of 3-pointers. There is no mistaking a Joe Mazulla Celtics team.
What stood out was how at home the team felt playing at such a heightened pace -- 106.2 possessions per 48 minutes. The Magic's 115.7 offensive rating seemed to suggest the Magic out Celtics'ed the Celtics -- the Magic made 12 of 28 from three compared to the Celtics' 17 for 37.
Orlando created some distance with a third quarter where the team made 13 of 18 shots. The team held onto the lead thanks to back-to-back threes from Ricky Council IV in the fourth quarter. The Celtics ran out of time in the Magic's 103-97 win.
Orlando had the composure and the intensity to answer and complete a 4-1 Summer League, the team's best record since returning to Vegas in 2018.
"Our team played very well," Au'Diese Toney said after Saturday's game. "We played very aggressively. Coach preached being aggressive. We came out and executed that. That changed the momentum of the game. Caught our rhythm and stuck with it."
Was this Magic basketball? Certainly, forcing 23 turnovers for 24 points was part of why the Magic won and a sign the defense was better than it seemed in a sloppy 40-minute game.
There are certainly elements of who the Magic want to be even with the remaining Summer League players getting their chance -- Noah Penda, Jase Richardson, Alex Morales and Colin Castleton sat out and Lester Quinones, TyTy Washington Jr. and Keon Johnson played only roughly 11 minutes.
A partial picture
Obviously, it is not the whole picture. And obviously everything is new.
Everyone has been trying to pick up on habits and patterns that will define who this Orlando Magic team will be. Nothing gets cemented until the main roster is together.
But identity should exist regardless of who plays. The style and ideas that create success, the keys and outlines to success, remain no matter who is on the court.
Something has to be a common thread stringing the whole team together. Something has to define how they play.
That something needs to shine through when players like William Baker (15 points, six rebounds), Au'Diese Toney (18 points, six rebounds, four steals) and Malik Reneau (19 points, 3-for-3 shooting from three) are the main players.
They thrived in their opportunity.
"From the start of the summer, the way the coaches welcomed us in, the way the former players that were already here welcomed us in, it helped us out a lot," Reneau said after Saturday's game. "It helped us out a lot, kept us in the grind and kept us pushing every single day. When everybody got their opportunity, everybody shined."
The final Summer League game was indeed a showcase for the players who had not played much -- if at all -- in the first four games. How they played and worked together would speak to the identity and culture the team was trying to instill.
It was far from perfect. And nobody should take it as a sign of what the Magic want to do. But the consistent element was how fast and forceful the team played.
The Magic were not necessarily getting out in transition off all those turnovers they forced, but they were working to speed the Celtics up and working to get into their sets quickly. Players moved through their sets quickly.
They played with confidence and force. That is the only way to win. And a credit to the culture the coaches built.
"I like that everybody stayed ready," Magic Summer League coach D.J. Bakker said after Saturday's game. "We had a number of guys who hadn't played yet this tournament. Those guys did a great job maximizing the moment. They've been doing that the last two weeks. They did a great job staying ready, staying engaged. All those guys got their numbers called. Super proud of them, both to win the game, but also to play well and know the game plan and what they are trying to do."
There was purpose and intensity to everything they do. That is a reflection of everything we know about Sean Sweeney so far.
A successful Summer League
Summer League was wildly successful for the Orlando Magic.
It is not just the team's record. Nor that Orlando saw significant progress from its two rookies from last season. It is that a distinct style began to emerge. It is that the coaching staff was able to instill a culture and a buy-in that permeated through the roster.
Each brick laid is a part of the foundation this team is trying to build in the fall.
Throughout Summer League, the Magic showed a willingness to push and pressure on defense. They played with intensity on that end, even if they were far from perfect (as you would expect in Summer League).
On offense, they played fast and intense. It was clear there was a directive to think and react quickly, getting the ball over the mid-court line to initiate actions sooner. That is something Sweeney has long talked about.
These are only hints of what the Magic want to do. That it lasted even when the main roster players sat is a sign of its permanence.
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