Apr 13, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) is being defended by Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic had plenty of instances in 2015 where they struggled with their backs against the wall. Is some toughness in order this offseason?

Rob Hennigan likes to use certain buzz words when he talks about his team and the players he wants to acquire.

High-quality. High-character. Hard-nosed.

These are intangible qualities that Hennigan and his staff draw out in interviewing and getting know the players they bring onto the roster.

And there is no doubt that the Magic have found talented players who are genuinely good people.

Tobias Harris is up for the NBA’s Community Assist Award and is a finalist for the Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship Award, given out by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.

Victor Oladipo is extremely talented and donated his winnings from the Slam Dunk Contest to charities in Washington, D.C., Orlando and Bloomington, Ind. Elfrid Payton is quiet and humble, always deflecting attention away from himself. Aaron Gordon has zero bravado and seems content (for now) with doing the little things his team needs to win.

Again, these are all nice people off the court. And they show plenty of aggression on it. They want to win and win bad.

Sometimes though, you ask: Is that enough?

Youth plays a role in everything the Magic did in the 2015 season. But there was also an undeniable current that the team did not have the mental state to close games. Some would call that toughness.

“I think it’s just a level of competition,” Aaron Gordon said. “The more that we grow, the more competitive that we will become. Once that happens, I think our true nature of competition will come out and that will take over in games.”

It is true, the Magic’s competitive nature came out in several close games. But also in several close games, mental lapses and poor plays from teams desperate to get back in the game caught up with them. These were the most painful lessons of the season.

This group of “nice guys” would get punched in the mouth by a big run and would not always have the ability to respond. It was certainly that way at the beginning of the season. It was an undercurrent throughout the season. The team just could not respond in the way they wanted.

Some of it is certainly youth. That is the blanket scapegoat for many of the Magic’s issues. The team is still learning how to win and how to compete on a consistent basis. It is not something that comes easy and it takes some losing to get there. Especially in the way the Magic are building things back up.

Do the Magic need to find a specific kind of player to speed this up? Do they need an enforcer like Horace Grant or Matt Barnes were for those championship teams? Is it physical toughness they need or mental toughness?

In any case, it was clear even to James Borrego in his 30 games as head coach that they needed more of that.

In his exit interview, he singled out Evan Fournier as a player that can bring that edge and toughness. Fournier not only was able to spread the floor and attack off the dribble, but he did have a sense that he would not back down. The Magic need more of that, he admitted.

“We need more of those type of players,” Borrego said. “Sometimes that comes from within. Sometimes you go plug that in from the outside and bring that in. As a group, as a mentality, we have to change that. We have to become a little nastier, a little edgier. I think we’ve done that in the last 30 games. I think we got a little edgier as a team. But as a group, we have to gain that this summer.”

“We have to become a little nastier, a little edgier.” –James Borrego

There will be a lot of growth this summer. Everyone within the organization believes that individual players will get better.

Still, the Magic have to develop an attitude about them that will come through in these tough moments. Experience will help with this. So too would confidence.

Adding a veteran who would have the experience and calm everyone down with his play and his presence late in games would be a big boost too.

There is a type of player the Magic are looking for. They may not have that exterior toughness or gruffness like the enforcers of the old NBA. But they are competitive. That has been a common theme throughout the acquisitions the Magic have made.

The theme of the kind of players and kind of people they acquire is not likely to change.

“We can never have enough ‘hard-nosed dudes,'” Hennigan said. “I think a lot of it is again the learning curve. It’s more about instilling confidence. It’s more about understanding how to execute. I think as that starts to elevate, I think some of the toughness and the grittiness and the competitiveness will elevate as well.”

So toughness would seem to come from gaining confidence in situations and being able to respond. So far, the Magic have not had any of that as they go through these learning experiences.

At some point the Magic have to start showing progress on this matter and start producing wins. Maybe it will take a coach giving them confidence. Maybe it will take adding an outside piece to give the young players the confidence and show them the way. Maybe it can grow internally.

One thing is clear, the Magic are missing this intangible piece and in order to accomplish their goals next season, they will need to find it.