After more than two weeks of training camp and three preseason tune-ups, the Magic are down to one last exhibition before the games start to count.
Orlando closes out the preseason Friday at Kia Center against the Miami Heat, and first-year coach Sean Sweeney is looking for the same things he’s been stressing since camp opened - only cleaner, sharper and more consistent.
“Better execution, continuing to build on the things that we’ve been working on,” Sweeney said after Thursday practice inside the AdventHealth Training Center. “(The) guys doing things the way they did last game, but now just better.”
That’s been the preseason theme for Orlando so far. Across three games, the Magic have generally taken care of the ball, attacked the glass and shared it well. Through Thursday’s slate, they were averaging the second-most assists at 32.3 per game, the third-most rebounds at 50.7 and the ninth-fewest turnovers at 16.3.
Those traits showed up Tuesday against Cleveland, when Orlando piled up 34 assists and beat the Cavaliers on the boards 54-38 at Kia Center. The performance wasn’t spotless - the Magic had 16 turnovers and forced only 12 - but Sweeney came away encouraged.
“I love the way the ball moved,” he said. “We talk about creating together (and) I thought we were exceptional in that area.
Defensively, we saw an uptick in our activity (and) our commitment to guarding the basketball was strong. We used multiple schemes at times and the execution was good and can be better.
“But in general I thought we did a pretty good job of things that we wanted to do and now we have to get a lot better.”
Friday could bring Orlando closer to full strength. Fourth-year pro Anthony Black, nursing a right ankle sprain, was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, and the team is gradually building him back up.
“He’s doing a good job, moving well and feels good, so we’re going to keep on that,” Sweeney said.
Jonathan Isaac also took part in practice Thursday after being limited early in camp because of a left knee injury he suffered last season and then missing time last week for personal reasons.
“It’s great to see him out there,” Sweeney said about Isaac. “Anytime you’re at full strength, that’s the best strength to be. But, regardless, we’re going to keep working to make sure we do a good job (to) keep building and keep getting better.”
For the Magic, Friday is the last rehearsal. The real thing begins Wednesday, when they open the regular season at home against the Atlanta Hawks.
Until then, the message is simple: keep tuning up, keep cleaning up, and keep the focus locked on what’s in front of them.
“It’s the final preseason game so (the) last chance to see how we’ll match up and just get used to everything,” Franz Wagner said. “(We want to) work on some of the stuff that we want to clean up and continue to improve on even what we did well.”
Noah Penda echoed that same mindset.
“Just keep building on us. No matter who we have in front of us, we have to stay consistent in who we are. The main thing is the main thing.”
Away from the court, Jase Richardson spent Wednesday helping the community. The Magic guard co-hosted a free basketball clinic for 80 local youth, most of them from Boys & Girls Clubs, at the Westside Community Center in Sanford.
Along with getting work in through on-court drills, each child received a Jr. Magic jersey and a Magic-themed basketball.
“It’s always special to try and give back to the community, especially to the youth,” Richardson said. “I always feel like they’re the future. So, I just try to give them as much wisdom and any knowledge I know.”
In Other News...
Magic Face A New Kind Of Pressure In The Southeast
The preseason opener against Miami is already carrying more weight than the usual October tune-up for Orlando, because the Southeast Division suddenly looks a lot tighter around the Magic. A closer look at the division shows several rivals making notable offseason moves, and the first real measuring stick comes against a Heat team that has helped set the standard in the East for years.
For Orlando, the question is less about style points than staying on the right side of the health ledger and getting enough from a roster that will be judged against a stronger field than it faced a year ago. The challenge is not just Miami, either, with Washington and Atlanta also reshaping the division picture in ways that could force the Magic to prove they can keep pace from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Sweeney Is Giving The Magic An Identity Fans Will Notice
Noah Penda has been one of the quieter preseason developments around the Magic, but his progress has been easy to notice for a team trying to sort out what it wants to look like under Sean Sweeney. The forward has flashed signs of growth, and Orlandos broader work this fall has centered on a new system that asks everyone to understand where they fit and what the team expects from them on both ends of the floor.
That structure has already started to show up in the way the Magic are carrying themselves, with players speaking about a group that feels more organized and more confident as the regular season nears. Pendas own preseason step forward fits neatly into that picture, though Orlando is still in the middle of the adjustment period and the biggest test will come once the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]
Magic-Heat Rivalry Feels Different For One Huge Reason
The preseason finale in Orlando will offer one last look at a familiar matchup that suddenly feels different on both sides. The Magic enter with Sean Sweeney taking over on the bench after Jamahl Mosleys exit, while the Heat arrive carrying a much different roster shape than the one Orlando has been seeing for years. It is the kind of early glimpse that matters in a division rivalry, even if the real test will come once the games start counting.
Miamis offseason alone would be enough to change the temperature around this series, and the two teams will not see each other again until February. By then, both sides should have a clearer sense of who they are and what this matchup means in its new form, but for now the intrigue is in the reset. The familiarity is still there, yet the personnel and coaching changes give this one a very different feel. [Read more 🡒]