ORLANDO – Orlando Magic head coach Steve Clifford sounded as if he was already in mid-season form following Tuesday’s first practice of training camp, flashing a white-hot intensity while chiding his team for its lackluster execution.
The good news for the Magic, however, is that intriguing point guard Markelle Fultz also looked to be in mid-season form – albeit one that is completely different than what he’s been able to display in his first two NBA seasons because of a troubling shoulder injury. In his first official practice with the Magic on Tuesday, a fully healthy Fultz left teammates raving about the guard’s dynamic ability to get into the paint off the dribble and his instinctual style that could potentially make him a major difference-maker in the season ahead.
First, some feedback from Fultz, who practiced without restrictions and said he was fully healthy in an NBA workout for the first time since he was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
``There were no nerves and just a lot of excitement and I was just happy to be out there and the first day went great,’’ said the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Fultz, who completely sweated through the gray jogging pants he wore throughout Tuesday’s practice session. ``I feel like we all did a good job, I learned a lot, I played hard and got in better shape today. Overall, it was a great day.’’
That’s not necessarily an opinion shared by Clifford when the topic turned to the overall performance of a Magic team that has increased expectations after going 42-40 and reaching the playoffs in the 2018-19 season. A coach whose intensity rarely wavers whether it’s an October training camp session or an April tune up for the playoffs, Clifford was unhappy about Orlando turning the ball over far too much, blown assignments throughout and players easing their way into training camp with less than all-out effort.
``Fair – at best,’’ Clifford huffed. ``It was an OK practice. You can’t just manufacture stuff. It was just OK. We turned the ball over a lot, so it was just OK.
``We have to do better than we did today, that’s what I’ll say,’’ added Clifford, whose Magic were scheduled to go through a non-contact work out later in the day on Tuesday. ``There’s 30 teams practicing today and I’d say most of them were better than us today. Disappointing.’’
Just the opposite was being said on Tuesday of Fultz, the guard whom the Magic brazenly traded for last February and stood by last season and all offseason as he methodically rehabilitated his way back from the thoracic outlet syndrome malady in his right shoulder. Finally fully healthy, Fultz began to flash his rare combination of size, quickness and innate feel for the game in his first full practice with the Magic. His teammates came away thoroughly impressed with what they saw from the 21-year-old guard who has played just 33 NBA games because of his troubling right shoulder injury.
``I thought he looked fantastic,’’ raved forward Jonathan Isaac. ``He got a couple of pull-up jumpers to go, but outside of that, it was just his ability to get into the lane and be crafty. Already, he’s able to manipulate the offense the way that he wants – and he’s just learning it. He’s crafty and for somebody so big, he plays really loose and he flows, and his ball-handling is really decent.’’
Added Nikola Vucevic, the Magic’s all-star center, referring to Fultz: ``He played very well. He looked comfortable out there, he was pushing the ball, scoring, he hit a couple of mid-range jumpers and he made guys pay. I said it (on Monday), he’s a guy who can make plays for himself and others, he has a big body, he can get to the hoop and he can be very good for us.’’
Then, there was this from Clifford, who was impressed with the guard despite his dissatisfaction of the team’s overall effort: ``His defense was very good, and he had a lot of good possessions. He’s hard to keep out of the paint because he’s so good with the ball, he doesn’t need a lot of room and he’s very, very clever. … The more you watch him, (you see that) he knows basketball and has a high IQ.’’
Orlando will practice again Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before departing for San Antonio where it will face the Spurs on Saturday (8:30 p.m., Magic Radio Network). After also playing in Detroit (Monday, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Florida TV) and Atlanta (Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Florida TV), the Magic will play their first preseason home game on Oct. 11 against the Boston Celtics (7 p.m., Magic Radio Network).
Fultz said there are no restrictions to him playing in Orlando’s first preseason game in San Antonio on Saturday and he vowed that his shoulder is fully recovered from the nerve and blood vessel ailment that severely hindered his arm extension over the past two seasons.
Fultz is also in an enviable position in that 11-year NBA veteran D.J. Augustin is ensconced as the starter and there is little pressure on him to be a savior at point guard for the Magic. However, the third-year guard has been so impressive in informal workouts and early scrimmaging that the Magic are already contemplating using reserve point guard Michael Carter-Williams at shooting guard and small forward some this season to create more playing-time options for Fultz. Carter-Williams, a defensive ace for the Magic late last season, said he added 15 pounds of bulk and muscle in offseason to ready his body for guarding bigger players.
Despite his early success, Fultz knows that there will most likely be some rust in his game that he will have to knock off early this season. He appeared in just 19 games last season and hasn’t played in an NBA game since Nov. 19, 2018 while a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.
``I’ve prepared in the offseason while ramping it up, going three-on-three and five-on-five and (in Tuesday’s first practice) I was just relaxing and having fun. It was more just an appreciation of being able to be out there with my teammates and compete and get ready for the season,’’ said Fultz, who has averaged 7.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 0.9 assists in his short-lived NBA career thus far. ``I’m definitely going to have to get my feel back for it. When I first step out there (for a game) and we have refs out there, everybody is still trying to get their flow back no matter who you are. It’s not going to be like – well, I hope I’m great – but I’m going to have mistakes. It’s just about working hard through them and continuing playing.’’
Clifford is hoping to see fewer mistakes from a Magic team that is experiencing a newfound continuity between the players, coaching staff and front office. Orlando has 13 players back from last season’s roster, and that group is fully familiar with a front office staff and a group of coaches that helped to guide the franchise to the playoffs last season for the first time in 2012. Now, Clifford wants more out of this year’s team, and there’s no time like the present to start ramping up those elevated expectations.
``I had high expectations last year too, but continuity is what you make of it,’’ said Clifford, who is beginning his second season in Orlando. ``At the end of (last season), I thought we had become a good practice team, and when you practice well, you are going to get better.
``We were a hard-working, serious-minded team last year who put a lot into it,’’ Clifford continued. ``We do that again, we’ll be better because we have a better team. But athletes are like everybody else – they’re human beings and they have to get themselves back to that same place.’’
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