When Jevon Carter was formally introduced two weeks ago, just a day after signing with the Magic, the veteran guard didn’t use many words to describe what he does on the court when he’s at his best.

“Defense,” he said at the time. “Pressuring the ball, making it tough on you and knocking down shots.”

During Thursday’s game between the Magic and Kings inside Golden 1 Center at Sacramento, Carter showed a glimpse of what he has to offer in his first extended minutes with Orlando.

Serving as the first player off the bench in coach Jamahl Mosley‘s rotation, the eighth-year pro sunk three 3-pointers for 14 points while adding three rebounds, four assists and a steal in 23 minutes.

Although it was a small sample size, Carter’s plus-minus rating of plus-34 led the team.

“As soon as he stepped on the court, it was pick-up full-court, talking in the huddles, getting guys in the right spots, stepping in with confidence to his shot,” Mosley said about the 6-foot guard. “He’s about all the right things. He’s about winning. He’s about toughness.

“He fits exactly what we do here with the Magic, just being able to (play) hard-nose defense, creating your offense on the other end,” Mosley added.

Carter signed with the Magic on Feb. 6, two days after the team traded away veteran guard Tyus Jones and five days after Carter was waived by the Bulls. In 23 games this season with Chicago, Carter averaged 5.4 points and 1.1 rebounds during 11.1 minutes per contest, while shooting 41% from beyond the arc.

During Thursday’s game at Sacramento, the Kings shot 3 for 12 from the field and 1 for 5 from 3-point range with Carter as the closest defender, according to NBA.com.

And he enjoyed playing alongside his new Magic teammates for the first time in extended action.

“It was fun,” Carter said after Orlando’s 131-94 win at Sacramento. “I pride myself on hard work. Hard work always pays off. That’s a motto I live by. It was definitely a lot of fun being out there with the guys, really getting back into the swing of things.”

The rest of the Magic locker room, including forward Paolo Banchero, recognize what Carter brings to the team on and off the floor.

“Just his energy,” Banchero said when asked what’s stood out about Carter since he signed with the team. “His energy, his voice, obviously his play. He’s active on defense, a shot-maker on offense (and) he tries to make the right play as a point guard. I mean, he really fits into just what we do.

“Him being a guy that’s been in the league, he has a great perspective, and (we’re) just encouraging him to continue to use his voice out there,” Banchero added.

After facing the Suns on Saturday night, Carter and the Magic have a quick turnaround when they travel to Los Angeles for a Sunday night matchup against the Clippers.

The veteran guard understands how important each and every game is for Orlando as the group pushes to climb the Eastern Conference standings in the final stretch of the regular season.

“Twenty-(seven) games left now, (we are) just taking every game one-by-one, treating them like mini-playoff series,” he said.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com

Up next …

Magic at Clippers

When: 9 p.m., Sunday, Intuit Dome

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida, NBA TV