By John DentonOct. 2, 2015
ORLANDO – Like a revamped Broadway show hoping for new life, the Orlando Magic drop the curtain on what rookie guard Mario Hezonja calls ``Showtime’’ on Saturday night, and the changes should be both plentiful and quite noticeable.
First, a blast from the past, Scott Skiles, has returned – not as a gritty and heady point guard as he was on those first few Magic teams in 1989 and the early ‘90s, but now as a hard-driving coach with a history of turnarounds for teams. In many ways, Skiles never left Central Florida, keeping a residence in the Sunshine State much of the past two decades even as he played and coached elsewhere.
Also hopefully making an appearance on Saturday when Orlando hosts Charlotte in the preseason opener will be a Magic defense that has been missing in action much of the past three years as the franchise rebuilt the roster. Skiles has spent much of training camp with the Magic installing defensive principles that in the past helped Phoenix, Chicago and Milwaukee become winners. In essence, Skiles – who can sometimes be about as subtle as a kick in the gut – has told his players this: If they don’t defend, they won’t play.
If the Magic are truly ready to win and bury a past that has seen them win just 20, 23 and 25 games over the past three years, they will buy in to all of the changes being made, Skiles said.
``At some point,’’ the new coach said sternly, ``the losing has to turn into, `It’s not all right any more.’^’’
Skiles, who was hired as head coach of the Magic on May 29, was a fan favorite and a record-setter (See: 30 assists on Dec. 30, 1990) while playing in Orlando from 1989-94. But management made it clear upon the hiring that Skiles is here now not because of some sappy, feel-good reunion, but instead because they believe he is the right coach to help turn around the Magic.
Skiles, 51, certainly has a history of turning teams into winners in his 13 years as a NBA head coach. In Phoenix, he took over for Danny Ainge 19 games into the 1999-00 season and led the Suns to 40-22 and 51-31 records in his first two seasons as head coach. In Chicago, he inherited a team that was 30-52 in 2002-03 and off to a 4-12 start in 2003-04 and by 2004-05 Skiles had the Bulls sitting at 47-35 and back in the playoffs. And in Milwaukee, his Bucks showed an eight-win improvement in 2008-09. And in 2009-10 he guided them to 46 wins and the franchise’s first winning record in seven years – something that vaulted Skiles to second in the voting for the NBA’s Coach of the year award.
The common denominator in all of Skiles’ success as a coach: Gritty, unyielding defense. In Phoenix, the Suns went from 19th in the NBA in defensive efficiency (the average of points per 100 possessions) to second in just two seasons. In Chicago, the Bulls were 21st in defensive efficiency under former coach Bill Cartwright, but up to second in the NBA two years later under Skiles. And in Milwaukee, Skiles took a team that was dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency in 2007-08 and molded them into the second highest rated defense in the league by the 2009-10 season.
``Not to take anything away from other coaches or anything, but at this level with how talented the guys are if you are going to be a really good defensive team it takes a real commitment in terms of time, effort from the players and sticking with it as coaches,’’ Skiles said. ``Occasionally you run across a couple players who don’t want to (focus on defense) and you have to hold them accountable. And, quite frankly, there are probably coaches out there who don’t want to hold players accountable because it can get a little messy.
``But I’m excited about this team – on both ends of the floor, really – because there are a lot of willing guys, athleticism and youth,’’ Skiles continued. ``So we should be very good on that defensive end of the floor.’’
Magic fans back at the Amway Center for the first time since last April will get their first glimpse at Hezonja, the flashy rookie who was selected fifth overall in last June’s NBA Draft. The 20-year-old wing player combines a rare blend of size, speed and athleticism and he should see time this season at shooting guard and small forward.
Also helpful to the Magic is the fact that Hezonja should be no wide-eyed rookie overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment since he’s played with pros since the age of 11 and he spent the past three years in Spain’s powerful ACB League. But playing now in the NBA – a lifelong dream of his – will be memorable for Hezonja.
``It will be special for me, and with everybody here who is following the Orlando Magic, it’s like show time,’’ said Hezonja, who had his best shooting day of training camp on Wednesday. ``Finally, I will get to step on that (Amway Center main) court and get to play.’’
Orlando is hopeful that fans will also see noticeable changes in many of the returning core players that make up the foundation of the franchise.
In Nikola Vucevic – who is most likely out on Saturday because of a mild shoulder strain – the Magic want to see a center who fights harder on the post to draw fouls and one who becomes a significantly better help defender. In Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris, the Magic are hopeful that both can continue to be elite offensive threats while also improving their efficiency with shot selection and decision making. Point guard Elfrid Payton, who finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting last season, has put in countless hours to improve a jumper and free throw form that were mostly unreliable.
``(The first preseason game) is just about playing hard and hopefully there will be a lot of carryover from these practices,’’ Payton said following Friday’s workout. ``Obviously, we’re going to make mistakes but we’re going to have to play through those mistakes. Defensively, guys are in the right spots and helping each other better. So I think we’ll do a better job this year deflecting balls and rebounding as a team.’’
Add up Skiles’ insistence on defensive improvement, all of the expected individual strides from core players and the eventual returns of Evan Fournier (ankle sprain) and Aaron Gordon (jaw fracture) and the Magic feel like they have all of the pieces necessary to become a team that’s back in contention. The organization’s stated goal from CEO Alex Martins and GM Rob Hennigan is for the Magic to be in the hunt all season for a playoff spot – something that franchise fixture Vucevic sees completely doable.
``I think it’s time,’’ Vucevic said of the Magic’s playoff push. ``We’re young but we’ve been playing in this league for a couple of years now and we’ve played played a lot of minutes and a lot of games. I think we have what’s necessary to make the playoffs. I think that has to be our goal, to make the playoffs. I think we have good quality players, we have good talent and we just have to go out there and prove it.’’