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The Orlando Magic wrap their training camp Monday, but planned to take the floor Sunday twice for a two-a-day session, coach Jacque Vaughn said. "This morning we will just review some things," he said. A scrimmage is scheduled for the evening.
Here's the top story from before the first of Sunday's practices.
Oladipo adjusting to the NBA game
Perhaps no player is more closely identified with the Magic's future than Victor Oladipo. The second overall pick in June's Draft may or may not be a franchise-level star, but most of the team's fans are excited to see him in action. Vaughn said so far he's impressed with the mental aspect of Oladipo's game, praising the rookie for "his ability to stay pretty consistent, to be pretty level-headed, when things are going right and wrong."
Magic forward Tobias Harris agrees. He said he's impressed with Oladipo's "focus to get better throughout training camp." One bit of advice Harris has offered his new teammate is "don't think too much; just go out there and play." Clearly, Oladipo has taken that advice to heart. Moments before Harris spoke with the media, Oladipo said, "I'm just gonna be patient and let the game come to me."
It's tough to gauge Oladipo's NBA-readiness after just a few practices, but Vaughn said Oladipo has the physical makeup to excel: "he has the physicality and the body to sustain on a nightly basis being challenged by the greats in the game."
There's little doubt about Oladipo's defensive ability or his competitiveness, but his jump shot remains in question. Will he make it consistently at the NBA level and add value as an offensive player? The Magic don't yet know for sure.
"We really haven't tracked anything like that, makes or misses," Vaughn said of Oladipo's shot, noting that the coaching staff is, for the moment, trying to assess the players' conditioning.
So far, Oladipo said, he's "pretty confident" in his jumper. "Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn't, but at the end of the day, I'm gonna keep shooting it," he said. "I'm gonna keep shooting with confidence because I know I'm capable of it."