If Orlando blend their mix of youth and experience it could be a Magic season

Rudyard Kipling might not have had the NBA in mind when he wrote his epic poem If, but it could well become the rallying cry for the Orlando Magic this season as they look to confound expectations of a third successive campaign under the dreaded “rebuilding” label.

Since Dwight Howard quit Florida for seemingly all points west in 2012, the talent-shorn Magic have stumbled to a patently un-magical 121 defeats amid distinct suspicions of tanking in a bid to acquire high draft picks and, yes, rebuild almost from the ground up under the stewardship of first-time head coach Jacque Vaughn.

It is an eye-opening, across-the-board youth movement, as Vaughn, at 39, is the second-youngest sideline leader in the league, Rob Hennigan is the youngest general manager (by some distance at just 32 years – younger than two of his players), and the roster features fully 11 players at 23 or younger, the most in the league.

With that age profile, Kipling’s youth-orientated writings should be almost required reading in the Orlando locker room, but it is his 1910 verse that will have most resonance for basketball followers in The City Beautiful.

For, if 7ft Montenegrin centre Nikola Vucevic can continue to build on his steady improvement after three years in the league; if second-year shooting guard Victor Oladipo can fill the top-scoring void left by Aaron Afflalo’s trade to Denver; if one of Maurice Harkless and Tobias Harris can also become a go-to scorer; and if first-round rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton can turn pre-season promise into genuine production when the action starts for real, well, Vaughn may just have reason to be going full throttle come next April rather than coasting to another high-draft-pick finish.

Admittedly that is a lot of Kiplings to turn into reality and you certainly will not hear the head coach voicing those sentiments prior to the opening fixture at New Orleans on 28 October. For all his vim and ebullience both on the sidelines and in press conferences, he is notably circumspect in not raising expectation levels above that of merely “growth and progress”, a mantra that is projected first and foremost by the general manager.

Hennigan insists: “We’ve spent the past two seasons developing a culture that is based on values, goals and habits that we believe will ultimately lead to sustainable success. We’ve turned over the roster to acquire the types of players who fit our culture and are capable of playing smart, physical, unselfish, defensive-minded basketball. We just have to stay true now to those principles as we make decisions moving forward.

“We want to continue to grow naturally and we want to see incremental growth from our players individually and as a whole. If you can have the dual growth, it forms a common bond and hopefully it can allow us to build some sound momentum.”

Both Hennigan and Vaughn are more bullish – albeit still within strictly self-imposed parameters – about the possibilities for rookies Gordon, Elfrid and Devyn Marble, who have all shown real pre-season signs of being able to contribute from the start. You sense they have all been a positive surprise to date and they might well surprise a few more people on opposing teams when the action starts for real.

Swingman Elfrid has the potential to make fans forget about the recently departed Jameer Nelson, while forward Gordon’s athleticism and defensive ability have not looked dissimilar to his game at the University of Arizona, where he was named in the All-Pac-12 first team in his one and only year. He may not be Dante Exum – the Australian phenom who many Magic followers were hoping the team would take with their top pick in June – but that might just be a good thing judging by Exum’s early struggles with Utah.

Vaughn says: “I think Elfrid has shown great composure on the floor. I love watching him play and he shows great awareness of who to get the ball to. He has been able to dictate a little defensively, which is good to see. There is still a lot to be learned there but he is ready to play and we will continue to challenge him with more to do as things progress. The most impressive thing, though, is the way all three rookies have jumped into the games and enjoyed the competition.

“What I’m looking to see at the moment is, are they understanding the concepts defensively; do they have an idea of how we want to play offensively; and do they know what we’re looking to do? Overall, their attention level and the ability to take something from one day and implement it the next has been pretty good.”

For all the Magic’s youth and vigour, though, the basis of any major progress this season may well come not so much from the likes of Elfrid and Gordon, but Frye and Gordon – that’s 31-year-old duo Channing Frye and Ben Gordon, who were both recruited in the summer to lend some vital experience to the enthusiastic mix.

Frye, a 6ft 11in centre now with his fourth team after spells with New York Knicks, Portland and Phoenix, signed a four-year, $32m contract to help raise the team’s average age slightly north of 23, while London-born shooting guard Gordon is likewise on his fourth stop in league terms and brings 10 years of veteran savvy into Vaughn’s plans.

And the coach makes no secret of the fact his most senior recruits – who also include fellow vets Luke Ridnour and Willie Green, both 33 and newly arrived from Charlotte and Los Angeles Clippers respectively – may be the most vital components in a distinctly callow roster.

Vaughn explains: “They are extremely important. We need the veteran players to come in here and show this collection of young players what it takes to be in this league for eight, 10 or more years. It’s extremely difficult to do that and when the message comes from other players who have been through the process, it resonates much more in the locker room.

“I have talked to all four individually on their responsibilities both on and off the court and how they fit and how they can help. You look at someone like Ben and he was there this morning before practice with Tobias Harris helping him establish a routine, showing our players how important it is to have a routine and how that benefits your game, to resist the challenge of being comfortable. He doesn’t have to be there right now but those examples continue to make our team grow and be better basketball players.”

Talk to Gordon and Frye individually and they are immediately on topic, tuned in to this young-old dynamic and eager to make it work. Both are aware there may not be many more chances to make an impact at their age, and, while the imperative is not totally to win now, there is certainly plenty of intention to win more than in the past two years. Things are no longer necessarily in rebuilding phase so much as waiting to see if the latest building blocks provide a solid all-round foundation, if the older players can set the stage for the younger ones.

Gordon says: “It’s a role I have been getting more familiar with in the last couple of years. These young players want to learn, they are like sponges. So, as veterans, we have to make sure we are leading by example and, when we do tell them things, we keep it short and sweet so they can digest it. It is still early, we are still developing team chemistry, but it is definitely something I have been enjoying. I have been around these guys all summer and I know they are looking to reach their goals – I can show them some of the little things that can help them reach those goals.”

Frye adds: “The more the veteran players tell them about the big picture, the better we are going to be. At times, it is a matter of not getting complacent and making sure the young guys buy into it. I understand how important team chemistry is and that it doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s something you can build towards if everyone is team-focused. That’s part of our job.”

Several comparisons have already been made with this Magic line-up and last season’s Suns, who confounded expectations in the Western Conference with a strong play-off run that was thwarted only in the final three games. Frye was a part of that surprise Phoenix uprising and is ready to help lead a similar charge.

“This team has a great core of players from the past few years and a great mix of new talent and experience,” says Frye. “As long as the young guys buy into the idea that they need to work to get better every day and that it’s a long season, they are capable of making great strides.”

It is clearly the same learn-and-improve message that comes from the general manager on down and, at least during the phoney pre-season war of October, it is a memo that the team as a whole seems to have taken to heart.

So there is one final “If” to add to the list – if the younger players do, actually, pay attention to the core message being peddled by Hennigan, Vaughn and the veteran group, the learning curve may not be that steep.

Because, if they can do all the above, then they will be an NBA contender, my son.