Few people knew about Jamahl Mosley when the Orlando Magic hired him in the summer of 2021.
At the time, he was an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. He has long been a well-respected assistant coach throughout the NBA, following a professional playing career as an energetic player in Australia, among other leagues.
He established a coaching identity in the NBA as a players’ coach, someone who would go on the court, work with the players and build strong relationships while working hard to improve them.
That’s exactly what Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman wanted. For their rebuild, the Magic were looking for a coach who would focus on player development and build deep connections with his team. They wanted someone who could foster the growth of a young team while learning how to win and learning the NBA.
Ultimately, they wanted a coach who could learn and grow himself. They wanted someone who could build the kind of culture that went from development to victory.
Mosley had been put to the test, just as he would be in the early days of Orlando’s rebuild as head coach. Now is the time for Mosley to start reaping the rewards of the patience he has always shown.
Now he and the Magic are seeing that vision come to fruition.
Mosley still has a lot to prove about himself. But no one can dispute the results. The Orlando Magic matched last year’s win total with their win Thursday against the Utah Jazz. They are (for now at least) tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference, a few percentage points behind the Philadelphia 76ers, and just one game behind the New York Knicks for fourth place and potentially the home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The question is no longer whether the Magic will make the playoffs, but which seed. It is a testimony of how stable Mosley has been throughout the season and the big picture he constantly preached to a young team experiencing a playoff run for the first time.
Everyone in the league has noticed the work Mosley has done.
“I’ve known Mose for a long time. He’s a student of the game,” Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in December. “He has a very inquisitive mind, a great work ethic, he’s always been in the coaching business. He’s worked with and for a lot of really good people over the years. It’s not really a surprise when he had this opportunity. that he was ready for it and secondly, that he was able to build a culture and an identity for this group that really suits him.”
Mosley has learned from many great coaches – in the NBA alone, he has been on the staff of George Karl and Rick Carlisle and worked with the great coaches of Team USA during the preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 and the FIBA World Championship. Cut last summer.
The Magic, currently at 34-26, have far exceeded expectations this season. The identity the Magic have formed on defense has been astonishing. The Magic are currently tied for fifth best defense in the NBA. This didn’t happen overnight. It was a work in progress for many seasons.
Orlando has made steady progress over Mosley’s three seasons, going from 22 wins in 2022 to 34 wins last year to what appears to be a playoff season this year. The Magic are working on only their second season above .500 since the departure of Dwight Howard in 2012.
Mosley helped turn the franchise around – he would give more credit to his coaching staff and players than himself. But Mosley has built the culture necessary to foster that growth and see that improvement.
Little things matter. Every little important play counts. The “Ring the Bell” played by Mosley and his team emphasized that it was going to come to fruition. Now it’s about maintaining that. There have been plenty of times where a team started the NBA season on a hot note, but then cooled off.
This Magic team didn’t do it. They weathered the storm of injuries and a tough December and January to stay in the playoff race. They look set to move up the standings in the final quarter of the season..
Thursday’s win against the Jazz is a great example. When playing against an inferior opponent, it is easy to lose concentration. The Magic lost focus late in the second quarter as they were having too much fun and were a little sloppy. The Jazz closed the first half on an 11-0 run to cut the Magic’s lead from 12 to two before halftime.
And even in the third quarter, the Jazz took the lead. But the Magic stayed the course. They stayed there. They continued to play their game and took their place. They played great defense down the stretch, which allowed them to separate themselves to get the win.
Mosley will always deflect credit — when asked if he matched last year’s win total, he praised the coaching staff more than himself. But he has overseen a sea change in this franchise while continuing to push the team to do more.
The narrative has changed around Magic. And frankly, their head coach.
Mosley has been successful in his role thus far. His development as a player has been tremendous. The Magic’s hot start was no accident.
They stayed true to their principles and were excellent at it. They played hard-nosed basketball on both ends, making life difficult for their opponents. And for the most part, they’ve continued that way amid the season’s few hiccups and roller coasters.
Now it’s about maintaining that, and Mosley has certainly set the Magic up to do just that.
He is interested in the little details that make good teams. His “do it by committee” mentality is a perfect recipe have for a high-performance and altruistic team.
The Magic are now 5-1 in their last 6 games. It’s the perfect time to string together victories because the Eastern Conference standings are extremely tight. The attention to detail Mosley often says will make his team even more vital heading into these final 22 games of the season.
The Orlando Magic’s improvements start with their own free agents. dark. Following. Magic Free Agents 03.01.24
Either way, Mosley looks like the man who will lead the team. He took them out of the rebuilding phase and into the winning phase. And he looks ready to continue moving this team forward.
