By John DentonOct. 23, 2015
ORLANDO – Though he thinks the NBA’s preseason is far too long, Orlando Magic’s coach Scott Skiles has said repeatedly that his team can’t afford to waste any days of prep time prior to the Wednesday’s regular-season opener.
Skiles and the Magic have spent all of training camp and the first seven games of the preseason re-doing their offense and defense and attempting to change the entire culture around the squad. Skiles has worked to build accountability with the players and he wants there to be a mindset cultivated where players expect to win and are especially bothered by losses.
The focus on playing consistently at a high level has yielded encouraging signs this preseason as the Magic (5-2) have strung together four straight victories. Skiles, the man hired last May to instill toughness and winning values in Orlando’s youth-filled roster, likes the progress made so far and he wants to see another step tonight when the Magic host the Memphis Grizzlies (6-0) at the Amway Center. Tipoff is just after 7 p.m.
The Magic didn’t treat Wednesday’s 110-107 overtime win against New Orleans much like a preseason game, and that will likely be the same approach tonight.
With the regular-season opener against the Washington Wizards not coming until Wednesday, Skiles said he will most likely push his starters deep into tonight’s game to make sure that it is a productive finish to the exhibition season. And the veteran coach likes that the Magic will be closing the preseason against a tough and rugged team like the Grizzlies.
“It’s good that we played New Orleans and Memphis here back-to-back because (the Pelicans used Anthony) Davis and (Kendrick) Perkins and Memphis is a throwback kind of team because they pound you inside and they are really physical,” Skiles said. “Both (Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph) are so talented that you can do a good job (defensively) and they will still score. It’s probably good that it’s our last exhibition game because it gives us a different look than we’ve been seeing most of the preseason. It will be a good look to see where we are.”
Skiles has been pleased with how the Magic have responded to the changes that he’s tried to incorporate in hopes of making Orlando a playoff contender again this season. He said he wouldn’t have taken the Magic coaching job if the team didn’t have the talent necessary to make drastic improvements. His squad’s willingness to work and adapt to change has been an added bonus, Skiles added.
“Except for the first practice in Rio, which was not a very good practice, we’ve been an excellent practice team,” Skiles said. “Guys have worked really hard, played really hard in practice and they have paid attention to detail. Our defense has gotten better and we’re trying to move the ball instead of dribbling so much. It hasn’t always translated out onto the game floor. But the biggest positive has been their willingness with the new coaching staff to change their ways of playing.
“We know, long term, it’s going to pay off for us,” Skiles continued. “I’m hoping, for their sake because they’ve made such a nice commitment, that it pays off sooner rather than later and they can feel some success.”
Orlando will be without point guard Elfrid Payton for a fifth consecutive game because of a hamstring injury. The Magic are hopeful that Payton – the team’s only player to appear in all 82 games last season – will be recovered in time to contribute in Wednesday’s season-opener.
Standout forward Tobias Harris, who left Wednesday’s game early and didn’t practice on Thursday because of a minor illness, will play tonight. Orlando is hopeful that the 6-foot-9, 230-pound Harris can play some at power forward – a move that frees up time at small forward for some of the team’s many wing players and it also makes the Magic a more athletic team because of Harris’ gifts. Teams such as Memphis – with two physical big men on the inside – could pose a problem for the Magic.
Orlando also has plenty of depth at power forward and could opt for a taller lineup of Channing Frye, Dewayne Dedmon or Jason Smith alongside starting center Nikola Vucevic. Frye, who has been much more effective this preseason under a coaching staff that expects him to do more than simply shoot 3-pointers, is cautiously optimistic that the Magic are turning the corner and ready to win at a high level this season. Frye likes how Skiles has held the team to a higher standard this preseason – a mentality that should carry into the regular season. Remaining tough-minded and resolute over the NBA’s 82-game marathon of a season is the challenge dead-ahead, Frye said.
“I think we’re buying into what coach wants, but we need to stay healthy and make sure that we continue to watch film and continue growing,” Frye said. “With a young group trying to compress everything that’s being taught, it’s been tough. But (Skiles) has done a great job and guys have been receptive to it. It will be a work in progress and we’ll be thrown into the fire quickly, but I think that challenge will be make us a better team.”
