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Much to Learn About Magic During Training Camp

Josh Cohen
Digital News Manager

By John Denton
Sept. 26, 2016

ORLANDO – Of all the Orlando Magic’s offseason changes – and there were plenty with a new coach and seven new players – the most significant and telling change is the expectations for the season ahead.
Leave it to one of the returning players – one who has suffered through multiple seasons of Orlando’s often-torturous rebuild – to pinpoint the unwavering gauntlet now facing the new-look Magic.

``I don’t think it’s a secret that we want to go back to the playoffs and if we don’t it’s going to be a bust,’’ said standout guard Evan Fournier, who returns to the Magic for a third season after signing a long-term contract with the team in July. ``It’s playoffs or bust, basically. We’re going to do everything that we can and it’s not going to be easy because there are a lot of good teams in the Eastern Conference now, but it’s going to be a good challenge.’’

The Magic hired highly successful head coach Frank Vogel, acquired heaps of veteran talent, paid handsomely to retain Fournier and prodded the blossoming young core – all in hopes of getting the Magic back into the postseason for the first time since 2012. Gone are the days of the Magic patiently waiting for their young players to mature and learn on the fly while absorbing a frustrating amount of losses. Now, there is a strong belief that the Magic have the talent, experience and coaching for the franchise to play meaningful games in April and beyond, and anything less than that standard is unacceptable.

``I wouldn’t be this way if I didn’t really believe in this team,’’ Vogel said at Monday’s Media Day of his confidence that the Magic will be postseason-worthy. ``I don’t think you can fake that type of talk and that type of belief. I really believe that this team has what it takes to make the playoffs and have success in the playoffs. Now, it’s just going to be about coming together and creating that positive chemistry and the commitment to defense, the running game and trusting the pass. If all of those things happen the way that I believe that they are, we’re going to have great success this year.’’

Orlando will start the process of building chemistry and laying the foundation for potential success on Tuesday when the team practices twice at the Amway Center. The Magic are scheduled to practice once on Wednesday, twice on Thursday and hold single sessions on Friday and Sunday before opening preseason action in Memphis next Monday.

The home-opener in the preseason, which is presented by Chase, will be on Oct. 12 when Orlando hosts the San Antonio Spurs at the Amway Center. The Magic’s regular season opens on Oct. 26 with a home game against the rival Miami Heat, who will be rebuilding following the losses of Dwyane Wade (free agency) and Chris Bosh (career-threatening injury).

Clearly, the Magic have their work cut out for them while trying to incorporate new faces Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, D.J. Agustin, Jodie Meeks, C.J. Wilcox and Stephen Zimmerman into an existing core of Nikola Vucevic, Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja and Fournier. Helping reduce the learning curve is the fact that many of the Magic’s players have been at the team headquarters for weeks working out together and getting to know one another. Potential negatives are injuries to Gordon (mild sprained ankle) and Meeks (foot surgery) that will keep the team from being completely whole from the start.

``For us as players, it’s about creating a brotherhood in the locker room,’’ said Biyombo, who was signed as a free agent to fortify Orlando’s defense with his shot-swatting abilities. ``We have to build that and find a way to compete every night. That’s one of my jobs as one of the leaders in the locker room to help us find a way to compete every night. We do that and we’ll give ourselves a chance to win every night.’’

Magic GM Rob Hennigan, who is about to enter his fifth season with the team, promised back in April that Orlando would use every means necessary to improve a squad that won 35 games in 2015-16. First, he picked up the pieces following Scott Skiles’ surprising resignation by landing the coveted Vogel, who was courted heavily by four other NBA teams after he ended a highly successful 5 1/2–year run in Indiana.

Then, Hennigan boldly traded Victor Oladipo and others on draft night for Ibaka so that Orlando could address its pressing need of rim protection. The GM didn’t stop there, adding several more veterans that should make the Magic much deeper and more versatile. More importantly, by adding players with a combined 200 games of postseason experience, Hennigan addressed Orlando’s glaring need for more mental and physical toughness.

``We did add some veterans in critical spots who can prop us up and we need the continued development of our young players with Elfrid and Aaron entering their third years now. So, the blend will help and we have a lot of guys who will complement one another and that’s important,’’ Hennigan said. ``We added a lot of playoff experience and if you’ve been there and have that experience – just by your actions that knowledge will help with them leading by example.’’

Vucevic, Orlando’s leading scorer and rebounder from each of the past two seasons, is quite possibly the player most eager to see the Magic reach the playoffs this season. He is the longest-tenured player on the roster after arriving in Orlando in July of 2012 and seeing the Magic hobble through seasons with 20, 23, 25 and 35 victories. Vucevic feels the Magic are better prepared now to make a playoff push because they have the likes of Ibaka and Biyombo, players who have played on teams that reached the NBA Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals.

``All of that experience will help us a lot because I think youth was a big issue for us in the past and we can’t use that as an excuse anymore,’’ Vucevic said. ``When you have those type of (veteran) players they can really help you when it gets tough or we go through a losing streak or something. They can help to keep the confidence up and talk about doing the little things. It’s not easy for some of us who have been here a couple of years and we lost a lot of close games. Having those veteran guys can help us win games that are close and help us get over the hump.’’

Vucevic bears watching in training camp because he will be working with Ibaka and Biyombo to try and provide the mix of scoring and defense that the Magic need from the center and power forward positions. Vogel hopes to rotate the three of them in the two positions and the versatility and shooting of Vucevic and Ibaka should help with that.

For his part, Ibaka stressed on Monday that winning should cure any issues that arise over ego, playing time or salary squabbles. Ibaka’s scoring, rebounding and blocked shot totals dropped each of the past three years in Oklahoma City, but he said that having a new start in Orlando – where he is expected to be in more of a primary role instead of a complimentary one – has reinvigorated his career.

``From the first day I met my teammates, I felt like I am winning inside already and my teammates are ready to win,’’ said Ibaka, who will be trying to regain the form of when he led the NBA in total blocks four years in a row earlier in his career. ``I’m so excited because sometimes change is good and this change is good for me. We’ve got a new coach, too, so it’s good timing for me. We’ll have a new system. We have nice guys here, exciting young players for the future and the most exciting part is the new start will give me new energy and a fresh mind.’’

In addition to having playoff aspirations, the Magic might head into the season with a sizeable chip on their shoulders. Computer projections from ESPN.com have set the Magic’s win total at 36 and odds makers are predicting that Orlando might finish near the bottom of the Southeast Division. Those projections came out before Miami (losing Bosh) and Milwaukee (losing Kris Middleton) suffered major personnel blows, but they were still significant enough to catch the attention of the Magic.

Vucevic feels that the Magic have the kind of gritty, veteran players to overcome the expectations of others and finally get Orlando back into the postseason. He knows that the unit must find ways to bridge the chemistry gap that comes with having so much newness in the roster and coaching staff. However, he is confident that Orlando is ready to win, big-time. That building process, he stressed, starts with the first time the Magic step onto the court for practice on Tuesday morning.

``If people don’t believe that we can (make the playoffs), that’s fine, but we have to work every day. Starting (with Tuesday’s first practice), we have to take it day-by day and make sure that we don’t skip any steps,’’ Vucevic said. ``We can’t just think that just because we added some pieces and added some good players that we’re going to get (to the playoffs). It’s going to take time and a lot of work. We have to understand that we’re going to have to work and grind to get there, but I think we can do it.’’

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.