Magic rookies Black, Howard receiving guidance from vets in 1st camp
When Jonathan Isaac took part in his first NBA training camp as a rookie with the Magic six years ago, he remembers feeling like a deer in the headlights.
That doesn’t seem to be the case for current Orlando rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard as they participate in their first camp.
“It was kind of a little bit of what I expected — some defense, some competition and really just getting a lot of the basics down,” Black said Tuesday following the first practice of the preseason.
Added Howard on Wednesday: “We’ve been going over plays, going over schemes, our defense — everything down to a T to make sure we young guys understand the culture and the concepts.”
Of course, just because the pair of lottery picks feel confident on the court, the duo are far from mastering what the Magic are aiming to do on offense and defense. That’s where veterans such as Isaac, offseason addition Joe Ingles and guard Gary Harris come in.
“It’s absolutely perfect for those guys because these guys are on the court and they feel what’s happening,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Between Joe, JI and Gary, they’ve been in those situations and scenarios. They can speak to certain ways in which you want to guard something.”
Magic open training camp healthy with defense top of mind
Black has noticed a higher pace of play during an NBA practice compared to summer league in July and his college days at Arkansas.
“Every day it’s a different dude telling me about pace, finding my teammates, playing a little bit slower and defensive tips,” he said. “It’s all type of stuff, so they’re definitely doing a good job teaching me and Jett what it is we’re trying to do.”
Their teammates aren’t the only ones helping them. Mosley has offered his guidance along the way, too.
“Coach Mosley is a really good coach,” said Howard, who played for his father Juwan Howard at Michigan. “The way he prepares us and gets us mentally locked in, top to bottom, I would say is the most surprising part.”
While Howard and Black get acclimated to Magic camp following the first two days, Isaac knows it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
“They’ve played great,” he said about the rookies. “Everybody is getting their feet wet and is excited. Adrenaline is running. As camp goes on, everybody will settle down and we’ll get to work.”
Orlando picks up team options for trio
The Magic exercised their third-year team option on forward Paolo Banchero as well as their fourth-year team options on guard Jalen Suggs and forward Franz Wagner for the 2024-25 season, league sources told the Sentinel on Wednesday morning.
This means all three players are now signed through next season and their salaries based on their rookie-scale contracts are guaranteed. The franchise confirmed the Sentinel’s reporting later in the day by announcing the expected moves.
The options for Banchero, Suggs and Wagner being picked up shouldn’t come as a surprise. Last October, Orlando exercised its third-year options on Suggs and Wagner, and earlier in the year drafted Banchero No. 1 overall.
The Magic had an Oct. 31 deadline to exercise the team options for all three.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X, known as Twitter, at @therealBeede.
