The Best of Orlando Magic PodSquad 2023-24 Season
but another thing that another thing that we’re big on now and this is Arie cander and yeah we’re doing a lot of breathing right and Palms down and calm down so how do you find I mean you’re a high energy get amped up where where do you find the line of of of getting everybody ramped up including yourself and at the same time like let’s take that deep breath and and and get done what we need to get done out there um it’s funny how much like that has shifted what my like game day routines are and things like that um I can’t really listen to like crazy Hype music before games anymore like used to listen to Old like throwback bangers you know like some my goto like g herbo l just like really like banging music you know what I’m saying and um you know now it’s a lot of raay I listen to you know maybe some like R&B before game you know what I’m saying or just some really like calm music but it’s kind of like that calm before the storm type like I don’t want to waste my energy you know pregame I want so that whenever step in between those lines you know all my energy and focus is all towards us and what we’re doing as a unit you know and going to win a basketball game and the breathing is a huge part of that I mean there’s a lot of times I go almost once a game where I go back to the to the tunnel with ar and go breathe or I go give him a hug and you know just as he’s talking you know just words of encouragement and continuing to tell me to stay centered and to bring my breath back you know to my to my middle point um you know all those things I definitely pay a part in it but yeah it’s dope we get to breathe we get to meditate come to our Center and then go turn the city up and just think it’s a dope it’s a dope balance ask about the group chat is it more active this year than it’s been in years past is it uh it sounds like it’s buzzing oh yeah it’s dope it’s we have it’s funny we have the iMessage group chat and that that’s everybody and we have the Snapchat you know not not everybody has big on the snap you know ground Grandpa Joe I don’t even think he has a Snapchat so yo that that that’s a way for us you know we text in the group chat and then the Snapchat one you just kind of you know send send what what you got going on you people send a video here and there you know what I’m saying just a way for us to continue to keep talking you know and stay close well he caught some Joe Engles caught some Strays from Cole the other night Cole called him a sloppy build called him a right called him a substitute teacher right I think like Grandpa’s one thing you know that’s not one thing you can escape now that’s age but I would never say sloppy build you know what I’m saying it’s effective it’s grown man yeah yeah first thing they ask me about Georgia I always bring it up like I’ll be like do you like wine and they’ be like yeah of course I’ll be like yeah we invented the wine we are the first country to make wine um I love Georgia that’s why Georgia is my favorite we’re the first country they just found the roots of the oldest grape grapes in Georgia so we we invented the wine so I bring that up uh everybody so I am sold yes always he so is everybody else yeah that’s right well you got beautiful places you got mounds you said you’re on the water a lot of it’s on the water and there’s so much history there it looks like Goa yeah how have we how have we had multiple Georgians on this team then that’s right that’s right crazy we have right yes Wendell Jake was Jake was gonna ask you how far was your house from Wendell’s house he actually was G to ask you that but chuma we’ve had chuma wuma chuma oh we had Zaza think back to when you’re a kid Paulo right you you’re you start playing basketball right I know your mom’s an accomplished basketball player but was this the goal I know you said it was a goal to win rookie of the year once you got the number one pick you check out you check off that box I gotta think every kid that grows up playing basketball dreams of being an All-Star one day right was that part of the goal yeah for sure I mean um I think it was it didn’t become a goal till maybe like High school or college but it was always a dream you know you always watch the allstar game you know every year and you just dream you know it seems impossible at first but um you know as you get older get better you know you you accomplish more goals leading up to it then it starts to become more real and so you know once I got to the NBA I think is when um I really wanted to just lock in and one you know start off a rookie of the year and then you know I didn’t know if it was gonna be year two or year three but definitely you know be Allstar was was on the on the um Mo’s over there cheering me on but uh as he should that are making you feel old does does Joe Engles make you feel young man just go back to Joe and be like okay I’m 25 again it’s good yeah that’s right Jo I think Joe just turned 36 in in the pre and I was just sit thinking like 36 one that’s amazing for him to still be hooping but two I’m just like 36 he’s gonna be kicking with the coaches more than us you know yeah but but it’s I’m not gonna lie to you for nine years I thought he was 36 I’m not gonna Li but Joe Joe is amazing man he brings a different type of energy to the team the trash talking to everyone uh I think the the practices have been the most chippy that there’ have been since I’ve been in Orlando in a good way you know it’s been like we’re really competing we’re really talking smack to each other it’s like we almost want to get in fights some practice but at the same time we need that we need that in order for us to grow and get better you know and I think that it’s it’s the perfect amount where we’re pushing each other every day but we also know that we have each other’s back and we know which which each person is capable of when we get in those situation so I love Joe and I I know I’m gonna get a lot of assyst off him and I can’t wait to play with him as well what’s going on with the YouTube channel and and what can we expect we’ love to follow along yeah I just started uh decided that it was time for me to create a YouTube channel and um it’s just my name Markel folks and I really just want to be able to motivate people I also want to create a platform for you know uh fans and people all over the world to know that you can you know do anything that’s possible you know I just want to really show a little bit more about my life show a little bit more about what I do daily um and just hopefully you know reach anyone who’s looking to look forward to it you know I’m gonna have content on you know road trips I’m G have content on uh my shoes that I wear you know a whole bunch of different stuff and I just really want to show a little bit behind the scenes of what I do you know I’m I’m private but I’m not you know I do a lot of stuff in the community in Orlando and just all over and I think that I just want to shine a little light on you know more stuff that I’m doing I think it’s a dope way to to access this but it’s something new that I’m trying so it’s I just hope everybody goes and subscribe and really likes it you guys Kind of Revolution revolutionized the game a little bit because now look around everybody’s got a stretch for and it all goes back to to that with you that’s right um I remember like you said when told me he wanted to move me to the four and I was you know and I like I said I told him whatever helps you know the team win ball games and I was forward because we had hedo turkalo that was playing a three position which was the same position I played when I was in Seattle and I know turkalo is a great basketball player I played against him when he was in Sacramento or even played against him when Orlando you know we played faced each other and I know turoo was going to be a big key to us succeeding so when he said to move to the four I know I was all forward um as long as it was success for the team yeah uh I may have took a little bit of backlash by not being that 30 point score or what everybody was always looking for but we didn’t need that from exactly it was all about winning as long as we win basketball games that’s right nobody’s talking bad about the Orlando Magic when you’re losing they try to point the finger but that’s just a part of sports and it was and with the this organization the team we had it was a family you know we didn’t have guys stabbing each other in the back and then smiling in their face no we we we was a real family and we played that way on the court and I feel like the better relationship you have with guys off the court coaching staff as well the better it’ll show the more it’ll show on the court we was excited Eastern Conference Finals you know we in Cleveland we take the bus ride to the arena to go over for game one streets are just filled with people you know they booing us as we getting police escort to the arena so like yo this is crazy like we’re excited right first quarter game starts ball goes up WAP it was boom boom boom we was like first time out we go to the bench we down maybe 10 15 points and we look at each other we looking around like holy sh we just get ourselves into that stand just like calm down everybody just relax take let’s chip away at it we’re not going to get it all back in one play just calm down I think that first timeout kind of relaxed every relaxed we were still tense and you know ready to play kind of reset it was reset yeah cuz we it was just like it was too fast for us we reset it started chipping away at it and I think we was cut the lead by halftime I think it was down maybe a couple points yeah uh but I can say that first quarter it was like oh my God you had to been thinking well what do we get ourselves into like you said but now you fight back and the game comes down to you with the ball in your hands we fight back uh down to the last second I remember coach join up and play you know I feeling good I started off first half not playing too well but second half started playing well was playing a lot better started getting a little rhythm uh and I can remember you know like I said when they come down to those that end of the game I want to win I don’t care how we gonna do it let’s win but I remember Turk passing me that ball on the wing and I had verar that was guarding me and I you know I felt like every time a Big’s on me I’m going to beat you to the basket I’m L quicker than you so I tried to drive him to the basket played great defense I can remember kicking it back out to Turk the top of the key but I wanted to win and my instinct was go to get the ball so I just come running back out to the three-point line uh you know like kind of waving my hands like pass it back and he gives it back to me knowing turkalo we don’t don’t like to pass the ball a lot he wants to shot those he does yes he does he ended up giving it back to me and I gave uh verar a jab step and he thought I was going to drive it again and I just raised up and when it went through the net when I say the the the excitement I had the chills the feeling I think I started pumping my chest looking over to the bench aw know everybody is so happy I mean just the magnitude of that game Eastern Conference Finals game one on the road playing against the best team in the NBA had the best record that year that’s right LeBron James best player in the league you know our back I mean the everything was was against us you know our back building was insane it was insane it was the loudest building I’ve ever played in the atmosphere was crazy to Ste game one is was a big deal is that don’t even remember training camp right I don’t blame it uh yeah I mean you know going into the season there was a lot of what ifs surrounding me and even in my own mind about um you know am I going to be able to stay healthy um you know where am I going to be at in the rotation am I ever going to get off a minut minutes restriction that was all there throughout the entirety of the season and it’s just it’s been amazing to just watch it uh watch it unfold the ups and downs of the season of um you know trying to find my shot trying to find where I fit in trying to find all these different things um going through the conditioning and then just the body aches and the soreness of of playing a lot of minutes and backtack that stuff we’ve been trying to figure out um so it’s just been it’s it’s just been I would I would say there’s been a lot of Grace um you know extended from the coaching staff to me the the team to me that my teammates to me um and seeing me in one day out one day um you know and sticking with me and then now we get to the point where uh we’re shaping up and you know you know by the grace of God I’m able to um play you know extended minutes and and you know for my sake and um you know be a cont contributing factor to the team yeah I mean honestly it’s not even I don’t even know the right way to say like I’m I’m not going into the game like I’m going to do this or I’m gonna shut this guy down it’s I just try to play as hard as I can play and and a lot of times I find myself in the right place at the right time um I’m trying to make my matchup as difficult as as as I possibly can on the the person that I’m guarding um and you know that that that’s gets boxs and Steals and being in the right place and altering shots um and a lot of times when I’m out there I’m just kind of lost in effort and trying to to play really hard and it turns into you know great defensive plays and so um you know I’m not I believe I’m the best defensive player in the NBA um you know that’s a chip that I’ll wear you know it’ll add fuel to the fire of not being able to because of the the rule I get it um you know I think the rule is is is important but um you know it it’ll just drive me to to to try my best to be a defensive minister in this this series question about that have you guys seen ji’s wife during a game have you seen how much have you how can not you can’t watch you can’t can you see it happen live Jonathan or do you go back and see it after there is no bigger fan which is awesome but she’s front row and she is into it it is a sight to watch I don’t know if you can see it real time or you have to go back and see it after she absolutely loves it and I her hey you got to take it easy and I’m trying I’m trying my best and so you know she she’s great I’m a little busy during the games but I’m gonna try and find that I got you gotta watch in a year plus for you guys to to to be a lethal onew combo you would be the second pair of teammates in Magic history to average 20 points per game right the others are sha and Penny this would be the second time in in Magic history now you can throw the ball to him without even looking you you know so well where where he’s going to be at right that was phenomenal last night by the way he says every time he gets stuck he can Bank on you cutting to the basket at the right time how just how about that uh that that that onew punch that that you’ve that you guys have worked on together yeah I think um I think we’re just both uh I think smart players that that love to play with their teammates and um I think we’re similar in in our approach to the game they were very focused but but still very confident I think um I think just in in that sense we’re we’re very similar in how we play um and then I just got to say it’s pretty easy play with someone like Carlo um you know that that draws so much attention and um at the same time wants to play for his teammates so um I think that’s it’s super impressive at his man that’s a huge compliment I would say uh I think that’s uh awesome that for somebody that watches every game that says that because I know it’s a lot uh it’s something that he focuses on a lot and um know he puts a lot of work in and like you said it’s it’s not easy to do um you know to to bring those intangibles every game and and and bring like you said the juice um every game um without um maybe going a littleit a little bit too far um so I I’m I’m super proud just as a as a brother seeing his development and the way he’s cved himself you know a role on a really good NBA team um looking at how his career went he um you know definitely wasn’t the best cards so I think that’s that’s really cool for him um you know that the path that he’s taken and continues to take and uh obviously it’s it’s super cool to see that up close I would I would hate to like look back and then be like oh I could have helped the team but like know I I would hate to have that like regret thought a little bit after the game when I if I if I wouldn’t have played so um if I could feel confident that I’m not going to hurt myself or um that I can help the team um then you know I don’t see no reason why not to play I love playing I love being out there with my teammates and I think there is there is uh you know I think what I just said with the Rhythm like there is something to that when you when you don’t play for a couple days you kind of lose that a little bit and might take a couple minutes in the next game so um I think I think that can be a little bit more of that but um I think it’s also just cool to look back and be able to say you know I fought through those moments and um I think guys guys take pride in that to to be able to play most games yeah uh the story My Favorite story about when you got here George galante arranged for you to come here and have a big a big media Gathering and to welcome you to welcome you properly to Orlando and and there was literally uh one guy from the organization actually uh photo photographer for the organization was like Hey listen just hold that Jersey we’re just GNA take a picture and and the Jersey didn’t even have a number on you know it was like uh I mean listen you know it was it was it was great man I mean I had this the super fancy shirt uh you know today we are laughing that you know people asking me like hey where you got this shirt from man it was like did you did you did you get it from Lost and Found You know from the airport because this thing was just bad and and just my look you know the hair I was I had and just just the young look I I had back then uh but listen honestly I didn’t really care like first of all I didn’t know how it’s supposed to be like first of all like I didn’t know that I supposed to have you know whatever three four five you know media reporters or whatever you know three cameras or four cameras I didn’t know anything about that that’s one two I was just excited that I was drafted the NBA that’s that’s it that was just the biggest thing and I didn’t really care back then but obviously later when I made a team and I started learning how everything works in the NBA and you know I start next year and next couple years forward I’ve seen I’ve seen how how teams are welcoming their their draft picks I was like damn I think I was like damn I said well maybe I mean I kind of understand our 57th pick like Hey listen you know don’t bring everybody on board you know like we don’t need so much attention to this guy [Music]
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