CLEVELAND — Body language matters in many endeavors, including competitive sports.
If you show you're down — by hanging your head, by slumping your shoulders — you give your opponent an edge.
So when coach Scott Skiles watched film of the 2014-15 Magic, he noted how individual players carried themselves during games. Elfrid Payton, for example, sometimes displayed negative body language when he struggled during his rookie season.
So far, Skiles said, he's seen improvements from Payton and Nik Vucevic.
Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo rarely display poor body language, Skiles added.