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By John DentonOct. 6, 2014
ORLANDO -- While making their NBA preseason debuts Tuesday night for the Orlando Magic, rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton could be going against superstar players in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade that they idolized as children.
But both rookies plan to check whatever awe factor they might have at the scorer’s table when they enter the game.
``Nahh, I’m not going to be in awe of them. I feel like I’ve earned the right to play on the floor and be playing this sport at the highest level,’’ Gordon said prior to the Magic’s practice on Monday. ``So just like they have, I’m going to come out here and play my hardest.’’
Said Payton of potentially being in awe of Miami’s stars: ``I think you can do it and be like that, but I’m not going to be like that. It really doesn’t matter to me.’’
Injuries to forward Channing Frye and guards Victor Oladipo and Willie Green – all of which suffered sprained MCLs in their knees following training camp mishaps – could mean major minutes right off the bat for Gordon and Payton tonight when the Magic open the preseason against the Heat in Miami. Payton is expected to split time at the point guard position with veteran Luke Ridnour and newcomer Evan Fournier, while Gordon can play either the small forward or power forwards positions even though he’s spent most of his time during training camp on the wing.
Gordon, the No. 4 overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft, said the start of the preseason is significant because this is another chance for him to prove that he can impact the Magic in positive ways this season. Gordon, the youngest player in the NBA this season after only recently turning 19 years old, said that while there will be some nerves, he is confident that he will play well because of the consistency in his mindset and his daily approach to the game.
``Definitely butterflies because it is the first preseason game on my new team. It’s another step on the process and it’s a long journey,’’ he said. ``All of this is benefitting myself and my team on what we want to accomplish. But at the same time, we do want to come out play with intensity and win.
``I just want to be proud of myself, really,’’ Gordon added, referring to his goals for the first game. ``That’s what it comes down to. I want to say that I was in the right defensive positions and I made the right plays on offense. Mistakes are going to be made because it’s the first preseason game, but at the same time I want to look back at the end of the game and be proud of what I did.’’
Payton said that a big part of his responsibilities as a point guard are knowing the abilities and likes and dislikes of each player on the roster. He feels that the chemistry with the squad is building and that it will continue to progress even with the injuries to Frye, Oladipo and Green upsetting the continuity of players on the roster.
``For the most part it’s coming, but that’s an ongoing thing,’’ Payton said. ``But I’m continuing to work with them and get a feel. But (the chemistry) is at a good level right now.’’
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn has been very complimentary of the rookie’s competitiveness and abilities to battle through the mental and physical grind that is training camp. Vaughn said that he will continue to challenge the two young players on a daily basis, while making sure not to overload them too early in their careers.
Vaughn cited Gordon’s strength and toughness early in training camp are some of his top attributes. Gordon said playing well early in camp has helped to reinforce to him that he belongs at the NBA level. And the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Gordon hopes that tonight’s first game will be another step in proving his abilities to the Magic coaching staff.
``Coach Vaughn gave a real good quote. He said, `The body manifests what the body harbors.’ What I have in my mind is what I think that I can do on the floor,’’ Gordon said. ``(He’s shown) that I’m here to stay and I’m here for the long run. Every day I come out and I’m the same person with the same energy and the same mentality. That’s not going to change.’’
VAUGHN PLAN FOR FIRST GAME: Vaughn stressed on Monday that no one will log heavy minutes in Tuesday’s opener in Miami, but he joked that he might have to ask veteran point guard Luke Ridnour to play more than he used to in the preseason because of the knee injuries to Oladipo and Green.
``For the week that we’ve had together, we want to see those things accomplished against another team – whether it’s the pace of our offense, some of the defensive concepts that we’ve been working on and let’s see if we can put them in use in a situation where things are coming a little faster,’’ Vaughn said.
Vaughn has made becoming a better defensive team a central focus of this training camp. The coach has usually started each practice with defensive drills and he’s hoping to see some translation on Tuesday in Miami.
``I’ll be looking at that (defense) with the overall effort level, the concentration level and conceptually with guys knowing where they need to be and why we’re doing it and not making multiple mistakes,’’ he added. ``I don’t see anyone playing extended minutes. We’ll use all of our guys who are suiting up and get everyone in the game. But I don’t see us using extended minutes for any individual.’’
ROOKIE ADVICE: A year ago, Oladipo was in the position of playing in his first-ever NBA preseason game. Now, even though he’s injured following an awkward landing in last Friday’s scrimmage, the second-year guard said that he will still try to have an impact by offering up advice to Payton as he plays his first preseason game.
``I’ll just tell him to go out and play and don’t think about it too much,’’ Oladipo said of his talks with Payton. ``He’s going to be really excited because I know that I was. Just go play and have fun, but it’s a crazy feeling (making your debut).’’
Oladipo said that while he’s out of action and rehabilitating his knee that he will do his best to help others on the team. It’s his way of continuing to improve, he said.
``It’s going to be fun because I’m going to be helping the young guys when they get out there. I’ll watch from the bench and learn and apply what I see to my game. I’ll try to help and be a player’s coach out there. I have to work on my leadership skills more. There are so many ways that I can improve and still be a part of the game.’’