ORLANDO - The Magic spent Thursday trying to erase the kind of details that can haunt a team in October: missed free throws, loose possessions and defensive lapses that turn into easy points the other way.
Before practice wrapped at the AdventHealth Training Center, the group heard plenty of noise. Cheers, chants and even chickens cock-a-doodle-dooing carried over the free-throw work, part of a new wrinkle from coach Sean Sweeney after Orlando left nine points at the line in Wednesday’s 132-125 loss to the Hawks at Kia Center.
Sweeney said the idea came from Magic video assistant Mareik “Mo” Isom.
“I wish I had an answer for how I came up with that,” Sweeney said after practice. “I can’t take credit for that. I think that was Mo on his Apple Watch, so maybe he thought that would motivate the guys to shoot free throws a little harder (Thursday).”
Franz Wagner noticed the difference right away.
“That was new. We were working on free throws. That was a new thing, for me at least.”
The free throws were only part of the story from opening night. Orlando also gave the ball away 20 times, and Atlanta turned those miscues into 24 points. The Hawks piled up 60 points in the paint and got to the foul line 36 times.
Still, the Magic aren’t treating one game like a verdict.
“It’s game one,” Magic guard Desmond Bane said in the locker room Wednesday night. “We’ve been together for six weeks now getting after it, so (there is) a lot of growth to still be made. The players, the coaches, everybody’s bought in, so I don’t doubt that that’s going to happen.”
Thursday’s session mixed film and floor work as Orlando reviewed where things went wrong and walked through the areas Sweeney wants tightened up. The biggest emphasis on defense, he said, started before the Hawks even got into their sets.
“Starting in transition, we have to make sure that we do a good job getting ourselves set, being ready to guard,” Sweeney said. “I thought at times we did that but there were others times when we had some breakdowns. Our individual defense, (we want to be) making sure we do a good job with our positioning on the basketball and then how we want to close out to guys.
“I think that’s what you’re talking about with the fouling shooters. As a general rule, when we contest a shot, we want to do it vertically, we want to jump second (and) we want our hand nearest (to) the ball.
And often times, we weren’t quite as vertical as we needed to be, so you saw some of those fouls. Just in general, our communication and our awareness, we know we can perform better than we did.
So, (those were) the big points of emphasis (Thursday).”
The turnover issue was a concern, but not a meltdown. Paolo Banchero had six of the 20 giveaways, yet still produced an efficient line: 35 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in 41 minutes while missing only two shots from the field.
Sweeney said the intention was there.
“I think the intent was there and our hearts were in the right place to play the right way,” he said. “Now, we need to do a little bit of a better job of executing.”
That next chance comes quickly. Minnesota visits Orlando on Friday night after rolling past the Heat, 131-106, on the road Wednesday. Anthony Edwards led the way with nine made 3-pointers and 45 points.
The Timberwolves’ blowout was part of a wild opening night across the league. Six NBA teams lost their season-opener by 20 or more points Wednesday, the most in league history.
Orlando, by contrast, lost by seven in a game that saw both teams hold double-digit leads at different points. The result left the Magic without the win, but not in alarm mode as they continue settling into Sweeney’s offensive and defensive systems.
They also won’t have Anthony Black on Friday after he was ruled out with a right ankle sprain. Jonathan Isaac, Noah Penda and Izaiyah Nelson were also ruled out after practice: Isaac with left knee injury management, Penda with a right partially torn hamstring and Nelson in left ankle injury recovery.
“Some of the huddles were productive - in times where last year, we might have split,” Bane said. “This year, we came together, went out there and tried to execute.”
In Other News...
Paolo Looked Ready But The Magics Opener Raised A Bigger Concern
Paolo Banchero looked every bit like the centerpiece Orlando wants him to be in the season opener, carrying the offense in a 132-125 loss to the Hawks. He poured in 35 points and helped steady a team that needed scoring from its star from the opening night, but even that kind of production was not enough to cover for a game that got away from the Magic late.
Sean Sweeneys first regular-season game as Orlandos head coach also brought some early rotation curiosity, with Jase Richardson getting a turn in the mix. The rookies minutes were limited, but the decision to get him on the floor was notable in a tight opener, especially on a night when the Magic were searching for the right combinations around Banchero and trying to make sense of the parts that still need to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Already Face An Early Injury Problem They Cant Ignore
The early-season injury list keeps growing across the league, and Orlando has its own reasons to keep a close eye on it. Anthony Black is set to miss Fridays game against Minnesota after sitting out the home opener and the entire preseason with a right ankle sprain, another reminder of how quickly availability can become the first real storyline for a young roster trying to settle in.
Jonathan Isaac is still out as well, with left knee injury management keeping him sidelined for the moment. For a team that leans heavily on defense and lineup continuity, the Magic are already navigating the kind of personnel uncertainty that can shape rotation decisions before the calendar even gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Paolo Delivered But The Magic Already Have A Bigger Concern
Paolo Banchero gave Orlando plenty to build on in its own opener, but the bigger picture around the Magic could be tougher to ignore after seeing how the rest of the league is already shaking out. In Dallas, Kyrie Irving returned to regular-season action for the first time since tearing his ACL on March 3, and he looked like a player still being carefully eased back in, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in the Mavericks' loss to the Rockets.
The Mavericks were outplayed after the first quarter as Houston steadily opened up a comfortable halftime cushion, and the evening offered a reminder that Irvings workload will likely be managed closely in the games ahead. Dallas got support from Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall, but the larger concern for Orlando is more familiar: the East is going to be competitive, and the margin for mistakes can disappear quickly if the Magic do not keep stacking complete performances. [Read more 🡒]