TORONTO – If playing 12 NBA seasons and being a part of eight franchises has taught veteran Orlando Magic point guard D.J. Augustin anything it’s that players must keep their focus on the future and not what’s happened in the past.
Augustin returned to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Sunday and Monday for the first times since he and the Magic were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs last spring. In addition to that disappointment, the arena was also the site of great joy for Augustin as he drilled the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of Game 1 to give the Magic a brief lead in the series. Toronto, which went on to win the NBA title, rallied to win the next four games.
Augustin said the first thoughts that crossed his mind upon entering Scotiabank Arena were reminders of how fun it was to compete in the playoffs. Now, he desperately wants the Magic to get back there again this season.
``No flashbacks because that was a minute ago but walking in here just gave us those playoff memories that we want to get back,’’ Augustin said. ``What we learned in the playoffs is just about executing, making the right plays and making the simple plays that it takes to win in a tough series.’’
Last April, Augustin called his Game 1 winner over Toronto center Marc Gasol one of the best moments of his career. Since the initial hoopla surrounding the shot, Augustin said he has shifted his focus to making himself a better player so that he can help himself and the Magic get back in that position again.
``When (the game-winning shot) first happened, a lot of people were (mentioning it),’’ he said. ``But since then, not really (much talk of it). The NBA is funny because you can never get too high or get too low in this league. That was definitely a great moment for me, but it’s in the past now.’’
SIAKAM STALKER: Last spring, after the Raptors eliminated the Magic, Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac made no secret of the fact that he would be spending a chunk of his offseason studying the growth and game of Toronto’s Pascal Siakam.
Needless to say, the Magic would be delighted if the 6-foot-10, 230-pound Isaac follows the path blazed by the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Siakam and similarly blossoms into a star.
After averaging 4.2 and 7.3 points a game in his first two NBA seasons, Siakam was a breakout star in the NBA last season while averaging 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists en route to winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award. That growth earned Siakam a lucrative four-year contract extension and he’s shown even more improvement early this season by averaging 28.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the Raptors’ first three games.
Orlando is undoubtedly hopeful that Isaac can follow a similar track now that he’s heading into his third NBA season. Following an injury-marred rookie season, Isaac showed off his tremendous promise last season by posting 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks over 75 games. He even held his own in the playoffs against Siakam, averaging 6.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
Isaac, who recently turned 22, spent much of his summer focusing on growing his game and bettering his body. While Isaac’s offensive game is still a work in progress, he has made more strides defensively and came into Monday ranked third in the NBA in blocked shots a game at 3.0. With more bulk and an improved conditioning, he feels he is better equipped to stand up defensively against a rising star such as Siakam.
``The summer was great for me, and after studying (Siakam), you can just see that he’s progressed because of the hard work that he’s put in,’’ Isaac said. ``You know me – I’m never going to make it about me and him. He’s a great player and I’m just excited about the matchup.’’
CANADIAN PRIDE FOR BIRCH: Even though his Magic lost to the Raptors in the playoffs last spring, reserve center Khem Birch thoroughly enjoyed the experience because of his deep Canadian roots. Birch, who hails from Montreal, reveled in having his family on hand to watch him play on the court he dreamed of being on as a child. The 6-foot-9, 233-pound Birch, who re-signed with the Magic as a free agent this summer, saw action in all five playoff games, averaging 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
What Birch didn’t show in those playoffs is the long-range stroke that he has been working on all offseason while trying to make his game more adaptive to today’s NBA. In four games while playing for Team Canada in the FIBA Cup in China, Birch averaged 11.6 points and 7.0 rebounds, but he missed the four 3-point shots he attempted.
In preseason action with the Magic, Birch’s offseason work showed when he drilled a 3-pointer from the corner left corner against the Atlanta Hawks.
Ultimately, he feels that his improvement from beyond the arc could help him get Canada in position to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Canada, which is hopeful that other NBA players such as Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson and Kelly Olynyk and youngsters Shea Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will compete in future Olympic qualifiers, came out of the FIBA Cup ranked No. 21 in the world. Birch said he always talks to other Canadian players about competing with the national team so that his home country will be represented in the Olympics.
``Those guys (such as Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker) are the future of the team and the reason I played is so those guys can understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,’’ Birch said. ``The last time (Canada) made the Olympics was 2000, so their generation can set the bar higher than ours and make potentially two or three Olympics. I potentially have one more, max two more (shots at the Olympics), and I want them to understand that they should represent their country because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing.’’
UP NEXT: The Magic were scheduled to depart immediately after Monday’s game in Toronto and arrive back in Central Florida at approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
It will be a quick turnaround for Orlando as it will be back in action on Wednesday when it hosts the New York Knicks and standout rookie R.J. Barrett. Tip time at the Amway Center on Wednesday is 7 p.m.
The Magic won three of four meetings against the Knicks last season, losing only the February meeting at Madison Square Garden when Orlando’s bench was badly outplayed.
The Magic beat New York 114-110 on April 3 of last season for what was, at the time, their eighth straight victory at the Amway Center. Orlando ended last season with nine straight home victories and opened this season with a defeat of Cleveland last Wednesday. Their 10-game home winning streak is the longest the franchise had had since the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons when they had an 11-game win spree spread over the two seasons.
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.