By John DentonOct. 23, 2015
ORLANDO – The NBA’s exhibition season can sometimes be about as accurate a predictor for the season ahead as a Central Florida weatherman during the rainy summer months.
Still, the Orlando Magic were more than happy to exit the preseason on Friday night with a somewhat noteworthy five-game winning streak – even if it came attached with a basketball-sized asterisk.
After difficult seasons of 20, 23 and 25 victories, the Magic are looking for something – anything, really – to believe in heading into Wednesday’s regular-season opener. And at this point, hopes are high considering how Orlando has responded under new coach Scott Skiles and worked to become a tougher team defensively and a more efficient one on offense.
“I think we’ve made some really big strides since the start of training camp because guys have been working really hard,” standout center Nikola Vucevic said after Orlando beat a facsimile of the Memphis Grizzlies 86-76 on Friday night.
“We’re getting used to the new offense and defense and more accustomed to each other,” added Vucevic, Orlando’s leading scorer (14.9 ppg.) and rebounder (7.1 rpg.) this preseason. “I can’t say that we’ve had a bad practice through the whole preseason and I’m happy with that. Now, we have a couple of days before it really starts and guys are anxious. But we have to use these next few days to make sure every detail is on point.”
To the Magic (6-2) it didn’t much matter that Memphis (6-1) held its starters out of Friday’s game. Skiles has said repeatedly throughout training camp that the Magic could care less about the opponents at this point. Instead, they have focused almost solely on themselves since camp opened on Sept. 26, and the team’s gritty, no-nonsense coach has been pleased with how the squad has been willing to make changes in hopes of producing more wins in the very near future.
“Guys have worked really hard, played really hard in practice and they have paid attention to detail,” said Skiles, who isn’t someone who throws praise around carelessly. “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 added. “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 won its final five games of the preseason, but two of those victories came with major caveats. The Magic yielded 38 first-quarter points and 71 in the first half before the Houston Rockets pulled their starters, allowing Orlando to rally for a win. And in Friday’s preseason finale, Memphis – the NBA’s only undefeated team this preseason coming into the night – rested four of its five expected starters.
Because the Magic don’t open the regular season until Wednesday night – at the Amway Center against the Washington Wizards – Skiles hoped to play his starters extensively. He did just that in Wednesday’s 110-107 overtime defeat of New Orleans, keeping Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier and C.J. Watson on the floor until the end of the game so they could experience a close-game atmosphere.
Skiles stuck with Orlando’s primary pieces for long stretches of the first three quarters, but scrapped the plan late in the game when Memphis had only backups on the floor.
Tobias Harris, who missed practice on Thursday with a cold, had his second strong game in a row and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Vucevic (10 points and six rebounds) was effective in 18 minutes, while Oladipo (zero of four shooting and zero points) and Fournier (one of seven shooting and three points) struggled to find much rhythm in the sloppy game.
“We’ve made some great strides all throughout the preseason because everybody is buying in and the biggest thing is the defensive end,” said Harris, who averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in the preseason. “We’re doing a good job every game and in practice of working on our habits. That’s going to be the biggest point for us going forward and we’ve done pretty good so far.”
Shabazz Napier continued his strong play late in the preseason and finished with 15 points and eight assists. Rookie Mario Hezonja, the No. 5 pick in last June’s NBA Draft, followed up Wednesday’s 19-point, four 3-pointer effort with six points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Andrew Nicholson, the longest-tenured player on the Magic roster, came off the bench and scored 14 points with two 3-pointers. Dewayne Dedmon chipped in five points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.
Orlando was once again without two of its young building blocks. Point guard Elfrid Payton missed his fifth consecutive game because of a sore hamstring, while Aaron Gordon sat out for the sixth time this preseason. Gordon, who has missed time because of fractured jaw and a sore left foot, bruised his right foot on a dunk attempt in Wednesday’s defeat of New Orleans. Orlando is hopeful that both Payton and Gordon will be back on the practice court in the coming days and possibly play in Wednesday’s regular-season opener.
Memphis coach Dave Joerger rested many of the veterans on his aging roster. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley and Matt Barnes had the night off after playing extended minutes on Wednesday in Atlanta.
Daytona Beach native and former Magic guard Vince Carter, who is in his 18th NBA season, started the game for a Memphis team that opens the regular season Wednesday at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Carter scored 10 points in 23 minutes.
Skiles has a history of building strong defenses throughout his coaching career with the Suns, Bulls and Bucks. He seems to be on the path to doing the same thing with the Magic. He has set lofty defensive goals for the Magic, wanting them to hold foes to 91 points per game, 43 percent shooting and 35 percent from the 3-point stripe. Do that, Skiles said, and the Magic should seriously contend for a playoff spot this season.
Orlando ranked 28th in the NBA last season in field goal percentage allowed and 25th in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions).
Despite still not having a shot-erasing rim-protector, Orlando has made major strides defensively. With better positioning and more accountability, Orlando went into Friday’s game ranked seventh in the NBA in field goal percentage allowed and ninth in 3-point shooting percentage allowed – numbers that improved on Friday when Memphis had trouble scoring all night. Orlando exited the preseason allowing its eight opponents to shoot just 39.8 percent from the floor and 30 percent from 3-point range.
The Magic rank only 16th in the league in points allowed (95.5 ppg.), but that’s largely because they have been unable to defend without fouling, Skiles said.
All in all, there’s been plenty to feel good about for the Magic coming out of this preseason. The schedule-makers did Orlando no favors early on as it will face likely playoff teams Washington, Oklahoma City, Chicago, New Orleans, Houston and Toronto in the first six games. It’s a challenge that the Magic feel they are better prepared to accept with the strides they have made over the past month under Skiles.
“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,” power forward Channing 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.”
