As Magic coach Sean Sweeney reviewed the film from Wednesday’s 122-118 preseason victory over the Grizzlies, the first-time NBA head coach was relatively pleased with what he saw on the court.
After weeks of voluntary practice and official team training camp, Orlando jumped on the opportunity to show what it had been working on while learning Sweeney’s offensive and defensive systems.
“The way we played really stood out in a number of ways, but one of the things was how connected we were on both ends,” the Magic coach said after Friday’s practice at the AdventHealth Training Center. “Offensively, the ball moved. And defensively, I thought we were doing a pretty good job of executing. We were a little slow in some spots, but I thought the connection was a big thing.”
To Sweeney’s point, the Magic racked up 35 assists, shot 44% from 3-point range and outrebounded Memphis 52-40 during the four-point win. The majority of the team’s starters only played in the first half.
Still, the Grizzlies got sent to the free-throw line 28 times, recorded 48 points in the paint and notched 20 second-chance points.
While the results of the preseason ultimately don’t count, the Magic players themselves agreed with Sweeney’s assessment of their first exhibition.
“We took what we’ve been working on and we applied it,” Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said. “Offensively, the ball was moving. It was beautiful basketball. Defensively, we were locked in. We were communicating. For a first game after a month being together working on things together, for us to go out there and put on that type of showcase, I’m pretty pleased with it, honestly.”
Added Magic forward Paolo Banchero: “Obviously, it’s preseason so I’m still waiting for the real thing, but the carryover is good to see us taking what we were doing in the practices and the training camp and applying it to a real game.”
Although it was just one preseason game — and Orlando’s second preseason game is on Sunday at Cleveland (6:30 p.m., ESPN) —the Magic came away feeling confident with the product on the court.
That outcome could impact their mentality throughout the rest of the preseason as they move closer to opening night, Oct. 21 against the Atlanta Hawks at Kia Center.
“Confidence just in general is based on evidence,” Sweeney said. “You can’t wave a magic wand and say, ‘Abracadabra,’ (and there’s) confidence. You’ve got to show it. We showed things that we can be confident in, and now we’ve got to build on that.
“And the things that we need to improve upon, we’ve got to make those corrections and get those things right so we can build on that as well.”
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Sweeney said both Anthony Black (right ankle sprain) and Noah Penda (right hamstring strain) were both full participants in Friday’s practice and are doing well after they missed the preseason opener.
“I thought both of those guys showed some flashes of things that we want to see and did a good job,” Sweeney said. “I’m sure they’ll keep building on what they did today.”
Jalen Suggs (illness) is still under the weather but he’s been getting some shots up in practice, Sweeney said. The team will be smart about how he returns to play.
Jonathan Isaac, who missed Wednesday’s preseason game at Memphis due to personal reasons, was not seen during the media-viewing session of Friday’s practice.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com