National Basketball Association

Orlando Magic Grades: Memphis Grizzlies 102, Orlando Magic 97

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Orlando Magic opened up their preseason with a solid, if not still sloppy performance, against the Memphis Grizzlies.

OrlandoMagic97

The Orlando Magic came out shooting in their opening preseason game. The pent-up energy of a long offseason boiled over as the team took control.

In the end, though, it was shooting that did them in.

Wayne Seldon hit a step-back 3-pointer with 26 seconds left to give the Memphis Grizzlies the lead for good. The Magic’s turnover issues in the first preseason game of the year took one final victim. Stephen Zimmerman lost the ball on an inbounds and the Grizzlies secured the ball to make free throws and run out the clock for the win.

Until that point though, the Magic seemed to take on the traits Frank Vogel wants from his team, particularly on offense, and build up from their foundation.

Evan Fournier got out and scored 18 points in 23 minutes, making seven of his nine shots and hitting three of five 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic dished out five assists in grabbing 11 points and nine rebounds. He hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer too, pushing the ball himself after picking up a rebound.

The Magic moved quickly up the floor and were not afraid to be aggressive with their shots — perhaps their 20-plus turnovers was a sign of that as much as anything.

Orlando still has a long way to go. There is a lot of work to do.

Especially since the Magic were without Elfrid Payton (sprain left hip flexor), Aaron Gordon (sprained ankle) and Serge Ibaka (knee soreness), this is hardly the full team the Magic will have. Orlando was experimenting with some combination the team may not use often — such as pairing Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo together, a duo Frank Vogel admitted after the game might see limited action together when the season begins.

The Magic though made more than the best with what they had on the roster. They found a solid offensive flow and had their defensive moments. While the main players were in, the Magic held their own with a Playoff team from the Western Conference and had control for the most part.

This game was just the first step for the Magic. The first of many.

Orlando has something to grow from and build off of after this first game. Things did begin to take hold for the Magic.

Evan Fournier

SG, Orlando Magic

Evan Fournier certainly has a lot of scoring load on him this season after Victor Oladipo‘s departure. Fournier got the contract that would certainly suggest the Orlando Magic are willing to believe in him a lot more too.

Fournier delivered early, making good on the reports he came to training camp focused and prepared to be a major contributor this season. He hit three 3-pointers early on in the game and scored 18 points in 23 minutes. The narrative the Magic are a bad 3-point shooting was put to rest with Fournier’s marksmanship early.

Fournier was efficient with his shooting. The turnovers — like with everyone else — will decrease. He had three for the game but he was aggressive and made shots when given the chance — 7-for-9 shooting — and that is a good sign for a first game.

Nikola Vucevic

C, Orlando Magic

Nikola Vucevic remains the bedrock and cornerstone for the Orlando Magic’s offense. The team will flow through him. And no player has probably had to adjust more than Vucevic. That showed itself again when he was paired with Bismack Biyombo.

But Vucevic was still the offense’s fulcrum. He looked to move the ball in the first half before looking for his offense in the second. And he can move the ball one of the best passing big men in the league. He dished out five assists to help spread the ball around. Vucevic also showed some expanded range.

Vucevic’s offensive efficiency still was not great in scoring 11 points to go with nine rebounds. He made just 4 of 12 shots in the game. That could very well be knocking off some rust and continuing to adjust to having another big like Biyombo in the lineup next to him.

Mario Hezonja

G/F, Orlando Magic

With Aaron Gordon out of the lineup, Mario Hezonja had a chance to show the improvements he has made in the offseason. There was an opportunity to fill in a gap and contribute in a bigger way for the Orlando Magic. Hezonja struggled to do that and succumbed to pressure from Memphis’ usually difficult defense.

Hezonja scored just three points, making one of five shots (all 3-pointers). He had four turnovers, including three in the second half as Memphis took the lead for good.

It was not a strong showing from Hezonja. But that is hardly reason to panic about him. It is just one game — the first preseason game at that. There is still a long way to go and Hezonja can certainly get there. He just has to gain that confidence to do it.

Branden Dawson

F, Orlando Magic

Of the Orlando Magic’s camp invitees, no one may have played better in this game than Branden Dawson. Damjan Rudez got the first call and the most minutes. He was able to hit shots well. But so was Dawson.

Dawson scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting. He did it in a number of ways. He hit some jumpers, cut to the basket and finished around the basket. That is what Dawson is best at. And he is still trying to continue to improve his jumper.

At the very least, Dawson emerged as an interesting prospect for the Magic to keep within their system beyond training camp and keep an eye on throughout the rest of the preseason.

Memphis Grizzlies

It is hard to find fault in what the Memphis Grizzlies did in this game either. Both teams really saw exactly what they wanted to see.

Grizzlies stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol both broke sweats and had their moments playing well. The Grizzlies got a good offensive output and saw some of their young stars emerge and play well.

The big performances from young players like Wade Baldwin were especially good. The Grizzlies had a good evening as much as the Magic did as both teams goth their feet wet this season.