Magic Eager For Chance to Clean Up Mistakes in Second Preseason Game

The Orlando Magic pick back up in preseason action on Wednesday evening in a bout with the San Antonio Spurs – the first chance to improve upon the opening contest two nights ago.

Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen (12) celebrates a basket with Orlando Magic guard Cory Joseph (10) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic's first preseason game, as forward Paolo Banchero said after Monday's contest, "looked like it was [the team's] first preseason game."

Visiting the New Orleans Pelicans inside a lazy Smoothie King Center for a mid-afternoon Monday tip, the Magic dropped the first unofficial contest of the year 106-104. Starters played about 20 minutes a piece – give or take a few – before the reserves shouldered the rest of the playing time. While some things are nitpick-worthy, or at least enough to raise a brow at here and there, now is the time in the year when things are expected to look helter-skelter from time to time.

"Well, there was some good," Magic coach Jamahl Mosley began Monday. "Obviously some areas – a lot of areas for improvement."

The Magic committed 23 turnovers for 26 Pelican points, surrendered 42 points in the paint, and knocked down just nine of their 36 three-point attempts despite getting a good amount of open looks. These items, all factors that Mosley mentioned, have and will continue to be focal points for his ballclub as the season approaches. Utilizing the games as an extension of training camp practices, certain situations in-game can't be simulated in practice scenarios against a team of bodies all wearing the same jersey.

As the rising fourth-year coach also noted, though, other aspects of the Magic's outing provided a solid foundation to continue working off of. Mosley spoke highly of the second unit's ability to move the ball, Orlando's overwhelming share of free throws attempted and the last-minute spurt to nearly force overtime from the third-stringers and G League players at the game's final buzzer.

"This is one of those games, you go back and look at the film, you study it, where your areas of improvement are, the big rocks that we need to move and keep hitting home on," Mosley said. "These guys continue to understand that."

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) guards against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Orlando quickly bolted to San Antonio, where it held practice inside the Frost Bank Center ahead of the Magic's second preseason tilt, which comes against the Spurs.

The Magic spent a hefty amount of time working Tuesday to get on the same page with one another – a consistent theme that will prevail throughout camp. It rarely matters if a team features as much consistency with its roster from year to year or the experience a newcomer brings to the table because every team is starting back at square one. Even with this Magic team, there's plenty to adjust to – from integrating Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at the two to continuing Jalen Suggs' development at point guard, and stretching down to meshing first and second-unit players together.

Nothing aides that process more than repetitions. In practice, in game, whatever situation it may be – it all boils down to building comfort in jelling together as a collective. That means finding spacing, learning one another's communication habits and honing in timing, then doing it over and over again.

Orlando knows it can do that – it just led to 47 wins and a playoff appearance and its attention is locked on achieving that reality, or better, again this year. It just won't be an overnight occurrence.

"Process-wise, I think the guys did a good job of understanding the things that we need to do in the game," Mosley said Tuesday, reviewing the result from the day prior. "But now, it's just the opposite side of being able to execute those situations."

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley talks to Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"It was good to go out there and make some mistakes that we can learn [from] and be better," center Goga Bitadze said.

The mature element of Banchero, the Magic's young, unquestioned leader who's preparing for what could be a monumental year for himself, knows that there's no reason to panic or overreact to a bad outing.

Rather, the 21-year-old forward who led the Magic in scoring Monday (15 points) is adept at acknowledging what went wrong and utilizing the experience to better the team going forward is the right plan of action.

"The energy was good, the intention was good. We just have some little things we can clean up, which was expected," Banchero said Monday. "I think you'll see us just get better and better as the preseason goes on."

"You're just going against different bodies, getting a feel for what the season is going to be. I think it was an overall positive start, and I'm looking forward to the next one"

Orlando gets another opportunity to take better care of the basketball, generate spacing and ball movement, read situations and make the simple play on Wednesday night.

That's been the echo call of camp thus far, Mosley says. Wednesday's carrying out of such just comes with an opponent other than itself.

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