Nikola Vucevic’s return to a blue Magic jersey already has Orlando thinking about what comes next.
The veteran center was back on the floor Wednesday night in Memphis for the first time in five years wearing Magic colors, and the first preseason game of this new look group offered a small but meaningful glimpse of what Orlando is trying to become. Vucevic, who spent nine seasons of his 15-year career with the Magic, said the reunion felt natural after practice Saturday at the AdventHealth Training Center.
“I gotta say I think I look pretty good in the blue with the stripes in white,” Vucevic said after practice Saturday inside the AdventHealth Training Center, which didn’t open until after his first stint with the Magic. “It felt pretty natural being back in that blue. It was good to be back.
“It was good to get out there with the guys, but I think the real, real feel will probably be on opening night. It was still nice to be out there and get a feel for it, so (we will) just continue to build on it.”
Now Orlando turns around quickly. The Magic head to Cleveland on Sunday for their second preseason game, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. The same two teams will meet again Tuesday, when Cleveland visits Orlando for the Magic’s preseason home opener at Kia Center.
Sean Sweeney liked the energy from Orlando’s 104-100 preseason win over Memphis, especially the way the ball moved. The Magic finished with 35 assists and shot 44.4% from 3-point range, two numbers that stood out to their coach. But as the team heads into its next test, Sweeney wants something more specific: cleaner habits.
“One of the things that I really want us to hit on as we go up there is our discipline on both sides of the ball,” Sweeney said. “Disciplined to be in the right spots defensively.
Disciplined to make sure we make the right call every time. We want to have some things be a little bit more automatic when we know what we’re supposed to do.
So not, ‘Should I? Or shouldn’t I?’
but some more automatic behaviors.”
“And then offensively, disciplined to be where we’re supposed to be,” Sweeney added. “Making sure we’re disciplined in our spacing and our decision-making. Just making sure we’re doing a good job continuing to build the habits that we brought into last game.”
Orlando’s injury picture is still a work in progress. Anthony Black, dealing with a right ankle sprain, and Noah Penda, sidelined by a right hamstring strain, both practiced fully Friday and had good sessions again Saturday, according to Sweeney. Jalen Suggs, out Wednesday with an illness, also did more in practice and looked closer to himself.
Still, Sweeney stopped short of saying any of them are ready to go Sunday.
“For any of those guys, you can’t skip steps,” Sweeney said. “You can maybe take them a little faster, but, in general, it’s step-by-step.”
Jonathan Isaac, who missed the Memphis game for personal reasons, was not present during the media viewing portion of Saturday’s practice for a second straight day.
Even with the absences, Sweeney saw value in what the roster got out of Wednesday’s game, especially for players asked to step into larger roles. Second-year guard Jase Richardson started in Suggs’ place against the Grizzlies, and Sweeney came away encouraged by what he saw. Jevon Carter also drew praise for his minutes.
“Just in general what I would say is, anytime somebody’s out, it’s another opportunity for someone else,” Sweeney said. “I thought Jase did a really good job in a number of ways with his minutes last game. Jevon (Carter) did some good things as well.
“The other thing that it allows you to do when you play is it allows you to learn a little bit more about what is needed. And at the end of the day, you’re always trying to prepare for the test, take the test, make the corrections on things you need to correct and then move forward.”
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Banchero also pointed to the broader growth he sees around him, from Wendell Carter Jr.s progress on the defensive end to the way the group is beginning to fit together offensively. The next step is turning those early signs into something repeatable, and the most intriguing part may be how quickly Orlando can keep building on the chemistry its starting to show. [Read more 🡒]