The canvas of the Orlando Magic’s first two preseason games contained many elements open to interpretation.

Paolo Banchero’s relatively easy dominance of his minutes would cover a good portion of that. Some would be showered with the promise of the inspiring starts from sophomores Anthony Black and Jett Howard, others would be concerned with developing Jalen Suggs’ role as a primary playmaker, rallying the Magic’s struggling defense, and so on.

It’s early season, so a lot often means a little and vice versa. However, there were some notable elements that emerged in the small sample size. Almost by default, some are more positive than others.

One that wouldn’t turn out to be positive? Orlando’s obvious turnover problem. There were also numerous stains on the previously mentioned canvas, called envelopes. Forty-three of them, to be exact.

Such a high number of giveaways makes it a little harder to digest the good parts of the performances.

“Well, I mean, the effort was there,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley began Wednesday night after his team’s 107-97 loss. “I liked the way our first unit started the game. They had a blast, their ability to share the basketball, move the basketball and defend at a high pace without fouling early. Then the second unit came and continued “a little bit.”

Then it wasn’t his demeanor that changed, just the tone of Mosley’s voice, only slightly. That’s because the Magic coach stopped telling the Magic’s good points and instead talked about the spots.

“What we have continued to talk about and what we will continue to express is that we need to take better care of basketball,” Mosley continued. “Twenty turnovers for 30 points aren’t enough.”

Just two days earlier, in the season opener in Orlando, the Magic committed 23 turnovers, giving the Pelicans 26 points on the extra possessions. The starters and reserves each accounted for 11 players in the loss to New Orleans, plus one team loss. Thirteen of the Magic’s 19 individual giveaways came from the second unit in Wednesday’s loss to the Spurs, and the Magic recorded an additional team loss to boot.

Orlando’s starters pounced on San Antonio from the start and took control of the game from the top. But as the Magic repeatedly missed offensive opportunities and gave up points from free possessions, the Magic’s lead – at times up to 17 points – slowly disappeared.

Jett Howard started in place of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who rested during Wednesday’s game along with other veterans to give the Magic’s younger players more opportunities, and the emerging second-year scorer took advantage. His 19 points were a game-high.

Although the turnovers contributed to his team not being able to produce the right result due to their outstanding performance, Howard is always confident that the problem can still be fixed.

“Understanding the importance of every possession and appreciating every possession,” Howard said when asked how Orlando can better limit turnovers. “It is still early, so we can still identify and address the weak points. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to it, even if it’s a serious matter.”

“The more we work together and build chemistry, the better we will get through this.”

In all media situations, it is clear that the message is getting through to the Magic’s players that they need to be more careful with their offensive options. Center Goga Bitadze noticed it during training on Tuesday. Paolo Banchero spoke about this after the start of the pre-season on Monday. Of course, Mosley consistently expressed his opinion every time he was there. even in front of a microphone.

Not all sales are equal. Some are the result of poor spacing, an incorrect or erroneous pass, miscommunication between two players on the field, sloppy ball handling, and so on. Live ball losses should be avoided at all costs as they give the opponent opportunities to switch. But dead-ball turnovers pile up quickly and can be just as damaging to an offense trying to find its rhythm.

It’s a process the Magic need to figure out and make significant progress before the regular season approaches, which will only come with time. Until then and probably beyond, the focus will continue to be on improvements. The desire to remove the stains will be loudly expressed.

“We have to get better there, and we will continue to improve there, work at it and persist at it as long as we have to understand the value of basketball.”

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