Similar to the rest of his teammates, Alex Morales was returning to practice following the NBA All-Star break late last month.
What he didn’t know was the fact that he was in for a surprise of a lifetime.
Osceola Magic general manager Kevin Tiller and others in the G League organization informed him he had earned a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic.
Morales couldn’t believe it.
“I really had no idea,” he said recently about signing a two-way contract with Orlando on Feb. 17. “It was just a surreal moment. I really didn’t know how to process it. You know, you work so hard for so many years to get the opportunity and then you finally get it. It just feels unreal.”
After wrapping up his college career at Wagner, the New Jersey native had spent the past four years in the G League with Osceola.
While he had signed multiple Exhibit 10 contracts over the years to spend time in training camp with Orlando, he was still waiting for a legitimate chance in the NBA.
It finally came in February and, although he didn’t play, he was active for the first time in an NBA regular season game last Thursday against the Mavericks at Kia Center.
“I’m super grateful,” Morales said. “This is what you work for. I’m super appreciative for the opportunity and I’m trusting in it. So, I’m going to continue to work hard for this organization.”
Those who know Morales best in Osceola, including Magic two-way center Colin Castleton, are proud of him.
“It’s awesome,” Castleton told the Orlando Sentinel recently. “I know the history and the background he has with (Osceola) being the only G League team he’s been able to ride out with and just helped them with a lot of wins.
“To finally get the opportunity at the next level is great to see, especially with all of the work he puts in just day-in and day-out,” Castleton added.
While Orlando fans might not be as familiar with Morales’ game for Osceola, he’s known to do a little bit of everything for the G League team that’s coached by Dylan Murphy.
Morales has averaged 17.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals during 34.8 minutes per night across 25 regular season G League games this season.
“My superpower probably is just to fit in with whatever the team needs,” Morales said. “Just to be able to do multiple things on a nightly basis, to fill in the gap wherever is needed. Whenever I get an opportunity to do that here, up top, then I’ll be ready.”
But his impact for Osceola goes beyond the court, too.
“He’s about all of the right things,” Castleton said about Morales. “When I got to Osceola last year, he helped me adjust quickly and then all the way down to now I’m with the Magic on my two-way. So, we’ve been helping each other out with little stuff and we’re both leaders of that team.
“He’s able to just be a great teammate and a great leader, and a lot of guys feed off of that in Osceola,” Castleton added.
On two-way contracts with Orlando, Morales and Castleton will go between the NBA and G League, but they’re limited to 50 NBA games.
Two-way contracts allow teams to carry three extra players in addition to the 15 on their regular-season roster, but they’re not eligible for the NBA playoffs. Jamal Cain is Orlando’s third two-way player.
Osceola, which hosted the Maine Celtics on Sunday, sat atop the Eastern Conference standings entering the day. Osceola fell short of a G League championship last season when it fell at home to the Stockton Kings, but the team feels confident it can make another deep postseason run.
“We’re just a good team, overall,” Castleton said. “Murphy does a good job leading us, giving us good game plans. And then I think we just go out there and play really hard. That’s like our M.O. on defense, just pressure the ball, rebound the ball, protect the rim.
“We’re just an all-around talented team and Murphy does a good job of helping us put us in good spots,” Castleton added.
Morales wants to help both Orlando and Osceola achieve their goals.
“The grind in the G League is definitely a fun, hard grind,” he said. “Leading up to this moment, everything you go through in the G League and everything I’ve been through in my life has kind of just set me up for the opportunity.
“Looking forward, whatever God has planned for me, that’s what that’s going to be,” he added. “So, (I’m) just going and being me, and whatever comes from that, comes from that.”
That mindset hasn’t slowed him down yet.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Cavaliers
When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Kia Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, ESPN