ORLANDO, Fla. — Jalen Suggs described the environment for his first official practice with the Magic on Tuesday as both exciting and fun as the team opened up training camp at the AdventHealth Practice Facility.
The first practice featured no 5-on-5 work as head coach Jamahl Mosley spent much of the morning teaching players principles and other related details. The Magic want to become a defensive-minded team and stressed the importance of locking in on that end of the floor.
Players were eager to hit the court and brought plenty of energy and enthusiasm throughout the first session. The feeling is often compared to the first day of school for many players throughout the league, with Suggs expressing a similar sentiment.
“I’m not really a morning person but I was up, wide-eyed and ready to go,” Suggs said. “I was really just excited. I went out here early and got my work in, put a couple of shots up and went into the locker room for the last couple of minutes before we got started. I like to put on gospel music and kind of relaxed because I was a little too amped up.”
Magic players Jalen Suggs, R.J. Hampton, Terrence Ross and E’Twaun Moore can be seen on the far side shooting pic.twitter.com/3eoNYiOK6c
— Cody Taylor (@CodyTaylorNBA) September 28, 2021
For a rookie player, the first day of training camp is often spent acclimating to a new system and terminology so it can be overwhelming. However, with Mosley taking over the reins this season, Suggs and other players had the opportunity to begin learning plays during summer league.
Suggs and those other players that played with the Magic in Las Vegas even had a bit of a head start on the veteran players that did not play in summer league. The team even had to stop practice a few times to go over some plays in more detail.
“(The rookies) brought a ton of energy,” Mosley said. “I think they bought in and understand some of the things that we’re doing. They are working their way into the NBA terminologies but both of those guys also played summer league so them being able to see it was good.”
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The coaching staff worked to ensure each new play and term was thoroughly explained during the first session. They want players to know why they are doing some actions and how much time they have to get into position on a given play.
The team wrapped up practice around lunchtime on Tuesday and will reconvene in the evening for a second session. The players will put what they learned in the first session to test on the court, which could involve some scrimmaging.
Suggs will work to make sure he is mentally and physically sharp for that second session.
“I’m going to take a little nap, put some good food in my system and just kick back,” Suggs said. “They really emphasized after this first session don’t shoot after the buzzer goes off, no extra dunks or running around. Go get off your feet and do what you gotta do to get ready for tonight.”
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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