For so much of this past offseason, the most basic of questions surrounded the
Who would be hired as the team's general manager? Who would become the head coach? Would the superstar player remain on the roster?
Those issues all have been answered, but even after training camp ended Friday, one giant question still remained: How will a
A few clues should emerge Sunday, when the Magic open their preseason in Mexico City against the
"You'll have to wait and see," point guard
The offense could look much different from what Magic fans grew accustomed to when
The last few days, the new-look Magic worked on initiating much of their offense from the elbows of the lane.
"There will be a lot of moving, a lot of cutting, a lot of slashing, a lot of playing through the elbow," small forward
"We don't have a big man like Dwight who totally changes everything, so we're just trying to use different ways to make our jobs easier."
Veterans such as Turkoglu and Nelson likely will play limited minutes Sunday, Vaughn said.
And with
Last season, the Magic averaged 27.0 shots per game from beyond the 3-point arc. With Howard and sharpshooting power forward
Vaughn indicated he'll still give his players freedom and that he'd like his offense to run whenever possible.
"I think I've even said '3-point shooting' one time," Vaughn said. "For me, you take the best shot. If Jameer kicks it ahead to
"For me," Vaughn added later, "guys know what a good shot is. Your teammate knows what a good shot is. That's all I want. Good shots."
Vaughn plans to start Gustavo Ayón at center because Ayón will be the first Mexico-born player to play for an NBA team on Mexico soil.
"I am very happy to be playing in front of my family, in front of all the fans in Mexico in my country," Ayón said. "It's going to make history."
Most Magic players didn't know what to expect in Mexico City, which has hosted a total of 17 NBA preseason and regular-season games.
Vaughn was an assistant coach with the
"It was great," Vaughn said. "I had octopus at the restaurant. Unbelievable. I'll go back again."
jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.