Fresh off a 2-3 showing on their first trip of the season, the Magic returned to the AdventHealth Training Center on Thursday and focused on getting back to the details of what they hope to accomplish on both ends the court.
Orlando believes it made uncharacteristic mistakes in Atlanta and didn’t a good enough job on the defensive end of the floor against a Southeast Division opponent that shot 43.3% from 3-point range to post 127 points at State Farm Arena.
The Magic, whose defensive rating (109.1) was second-best in the league last season, fell to 1-5 when allowing 110-plus points.
“Part of what we’re doing, you’re always tinkering and trying to find different ways as a new team comes together,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after practice. “Lulls happen. They happen throughout a season.
“Ours just happened to be happening in this moment right now and as we start to move forward, you get it out of the way now so as we get through the season we know how things can be corrected,” he added.
The Magic are aiming to get back on track when they host the Celtics twice this weekend, starting Friday to open the group stage of the NBA Cup. Boston plays again Sunday at Kia Center and the Magic host the Trail Blazers for the lone time this season Monday.
With three home games ahead of them, it’s a chance for Orlando to find its footing after a 3-5 start.
“It’s a good opportunity,” Franz Wagner said. “Not the best road trip. We learned a lot. It’s just another opportunity to get better and hopefully consistently make some steps forward.”
Wagner, who’s averaged 22 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.13 steals per night to open the year, shared the biggest thing he learned about the team during the seasonlong five-game, nine-day trip.
“We’ve just got to play aggressively,” he said. “I didn’t like our vibe that last game. Making sure our energy is right is the most important thing for our group.”
Getting the results they want would help with the overall energy of the group.
But the Magic also know there’s still 74 games remaining in the regular season, and it’s a position they’ve been in before.
Although for largely different reasons related to key injuries rather than on-court play, Orlando opened last season 3-6 before it strung together 12 of the next 13 games to rise in the Eastern Conference standings.
After implementing a faster-paced offense, fitting in new players such as guards Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones, and adding assistant coaches Joe Prunty and God Shammgod to the staff, Mosley isn’t signaling for a U-turn.
“We’re at Game 8,” he said Thursday. “These are drafts. So, they’re not the perfect draft. And we’re not asking these guys to be perfect. But what we’re going to continue to ask them to be is consistent and stick with our process.
“With that being said, it’s not a time to just scrap the paper. It’s time to say, ‘OK, how do we revisit this?’ Like today in practice. You go over defensive drills, you go over closeouts, you go over recognizing who’s who on the floor, what they need to do, how you need to see it. Those are the things that are the details of the game and understanding how we have to do it, and then putting them in a position to do it.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Celtics, NBA Cup
When: 7, Friday, Kia Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida