The Orlando Magic are still getting to know their new coach in Jamahl Mosley. It is not even likely he has set up his office fully yet. There is simply too much for him to do at this point.
The Magic are still bringing in prospects to work out and reviewing information when it comes to the draft — catching their new coach up to get his input on their final draft preparations.
Mosley’s biggest task is to find and hire an assistant coaching staff to support his message and methods and also fill in for his weaknesses. There may be no more important decision. And Mosley has to get all of this sorted out before Summer League begins in early August.
Most of his attention is likely put here.
But, as president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said during the team’s introductory press conference, you are what you enter the league as. Mosley came to the league as a player development coach, working out players and helping them get better at an individual level.
A new coach for the Orlando Magic means a new voice and a new perspective on the team. And some players need to take advantage of this second chance as the team begins to rebuild.
For a rebuilding team like the Magic, this history is likely what put Mosley on their radar and he sold them on his ability to build up this team.
Magic fans were impressed with his introductory press conference and even more impressed after the Magic released video of Jamahl Mosley in the gym working with Mohamed Bamba.
straight to work with Coach @TheRealMoBamba x #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/8A5AyIfki3
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 14, 2021
Mosley may not be able to have daily on-court sessions with players like he did when he was an assistant coach. His responsibilities are just vastly different now. But he is going to take every moment he can with his players.
At his introductory press conference, Mosley said he wanted to make sure he had the time to get to know his players beyond a cursory “hello text.” It speaks to the kind of relationship Mosley hopes to foster.
It is indeed a new start in Orlando. It started with re-shaping the roster at the trade deadline and it will continue with the new coach.
With such a young roster, there is always some concern about starting over. Young players especially need some stability. Coaching changes can often throw things into chaos.
But young players are especially malleable too. They have not been hardened into habits or reached their potential. Final opinions of who they are in the league or what they will be are not fully formed yet.
And a new voice can often mean a new perspective and a breath of fresh air for a player.
Nikola Vucevic had plenty of coaches in his career with the Magic, but it was Steve Clifford’s arrival that unlocked the All-Star within him. Clifford was especially good at getting the most out of players to get them into playoff contention.
Although, there were certainly a few players and development projects sacrificed to do so.
As the Magic prepare to work under a new coach, there are players who will be eager to get a second chance and impress under new eyes. And Mosley will likely come to players with new ideas and concepts as the team rebuilds its roster.
This is indeed a new beginning and for several players, it will be a fresh start. Considering Orlando is starting essentially from scratch, several players will have the chance to get a fresh start and have a new coach they can buy into and gain confidence from.
These are players eager for this new chance.
Orlando Magic players in need of a second chance
Mohamed Bamba
No player needs a second chance quite like Mohamed Bamba.
The No. 6 overall pick from the 2018 Draft has had a spotty road through his first three seasons. The team knew he was a project and would need time to develop. But an injury late in his rookie season, another injury during his first offseason and then COVID complications before the bubble and into his second offseason have all worked to slow his development.
On top of that, the Orlando Magic suddenly became a playoff-capable team and their patience for a young player still learning how to use his body, how to put on weight and just play NBA-level defense and speed started to wear thin.
Orlando Magic
If the Magic’s goal was solely to develop players, they likely would have been patient through these ups and downs. But the team was trying to make the playoffs and they needed more reliable minutes from their backup center. So Bamba was pushed to the wayside and his development slowed further.
Bamba is averaging 6.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game in just 15.3 minutes per game for his career. In that time, he has shown plenty of potential as a shot blocker — he is averaging 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes for his career — and even as an outside shooter. Bamba has had a few games where he played meaningful minutes and delivered huge offensive performances.
But he never really had the consistent playing time or role to make this an everyday occurrence.
The first real chance Mohamed Bamba got was after the trade deadline and after Khem Birch’s departure, solidifying Bamba as the backup center at the very least.
And Bamba put up decent numbers — 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.9-percent from the floor and 33.7-percent from beyond the arc. That is just coming from playing time. But it still felt like Bamba needed to do more.
No one could use some fresh eyes and perspective more than Bamba. This is a contract year for him — he can become a restricted free agent at the end of the season — and his future with the team is unclear. Everyone knows it is a contract year for him too — his friend Cole Anthony commented as much on his Instagram story on Saturday.
Bamba has to deliver. And so a new coach who has new ideas and new confidence in him could be just what Bamba needed. It was clear at a certain point that Bamba was not going to gain Clifford’s trust. He needed either a new team or a new coach.
That is why the video of Mosley working with him got Magic fans so excited. And, yes, Bamba is having a little bit of fun with his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live before Saturday’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals. But he has shared plenty of his work on social media.
Bamba seems to be doing all the work he needs to do on his end to get himself ready. This may well be the first healthy offseason of his career. And that could have a huge impact on his career.
It is a brand new start for the Magic. And probably no greater chance to restart than for Bamba.
Orlando Magic players in need of a second chance
Jonathan Isaac
Jonathan Isaac’s first priority will be getting himself healthy after missing the 2021 season with a torn ACL. At this point, the Orlando Magic (or Isaac) are not offering any clues about where Isaac is in his progress or whether he will be ready for training camp. He told The Sixth Man Show that he felt he had turned a corner with his recovery, but that is about it.
At this point, we are 11 months from the original injury and nearing that mythical 12-month mark. It feels likely Isaac will be back and ready to play this season even if the Magic stay cautious as they usually do.
Isaac has already carved out a reputation as a strong defender. Even when he was still new to the NBA and recovering from injury, he quickly made an impact defensively. Those defensive instincts and ability will probably be the first thing to return for Isaac when he gets back onto the floor.
What the Magic likely want to see as he begins his four-year extension off his rookie contract is whether his offensive game can take a leap.
The team Isaac is returning to from his injury is very different from the one he left. Isaac is now sort of the veteran player. And while we have long said Isaac is likely the only player with elite talent, nobody was prepared to say he was the team’s best player or anything more than that defensively specialist.
That is how Steve Clifford used him. Isaac was often an afterthought offensively with Clifford even admitting and lamenting how little he involved Isaac in the offense.
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For his career, Isaac is averaging only 9.3 points per game on a 49.6-percent effective field goal percentage. In the 2020 season, Isaac averaged a career-best 11.9 points per game on a 51.8-percent effective field goal percentage.
He has progressively gotten better. But no one would confuse the Magic for running plays or offense through Isaac in any significant way.
The only time they did that was when both Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic suffered injuries during the 2020 season and had to miss some time. In the time Vucevic was out in November and December that season, Isaac averaged 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.4-percent from the floor on 12.0 field goal attempts per game.
If there is one thing we know about Isaac, though, he is willing to work to improve his game even when he is injured.
When he returned from his knee injury in the bubble, he was stellar from beyond the arc. In the opening win against the Brooklyn Nets, he scored 16 points and hit six of seven shots, including both of his 3-pointers. That came after a stellar scrimmage against the Denver Nuggets with similar statistics.
The criticism facing Isaac even in the draft process was his seeming willingness to recede into the background on offense. He never really seemed to assert himself offensively.
The Magic were full of veterans who could easily take that pressure and attention off Isaac. That is gone now. This is a wholly new team and Isaac is one of its veterans.
Isaac will be spending this year recovering from an injury. But Jamahl Mosley is also going to have to work with Jonathan Isaac to unlock more of an offensive mindset. Orlando cannot rely on Isaac as a supporting player anymore. He has to be a featured cog of the offense.
That will require some serious coaching to change this season and beyond.
Orlando Magic players in need of a second chance
Gary Harris
A lot of the focus on the Orlando Magic’s development has focused on the young players. It is true, they are the future of this team and probably the most important players to pay attention to.
But the team is going to be more than that. And as young players develop, they need veterans to lead the way. Orlando is short on those and may be relying on players returning to the fold.
While Jamahl Mosley may have less teaching to do with these players, that does not mean his coaching is not done. he still needs to give these players their chance.
No one probably needs to restart and get himself right more than Gary Harris.
Harris arrived in Orlando at the trade deadline after several years facing various leg and knee injuries. He just needed the opportunity to play.
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It was definitely a slog to get him back comfortable on the court again. Harris averaged 10.2 points per game on a 42.9-percent effective field goal percentage. Harris simply went out there to get his reps in and get back on the court. He was not particularly great.
The hope when the Magic acquired him was to give him a low-pressure environment to get himself right and recover from those injuries that have kept him from playing more than 60 games his last three seasons. In fact, Harris has eclipsed 60 games just twice in his career.
Harris getting healthy so he can play at his best is the No. 1 priority. Second, though, is trying to find a way to get back to where he was in 2018 when he averaged 17.5 points per game on a 57.0-percent effective field goal percentage.
He may not get to that level again. The Magic will certainly have plenty of shots for him to take with the roster they have. And his experience and leadership will be something plenty of players will defer to.
Mosley talked in his introductory press conference about putting guys in good positions offensively. That will be his main goal. Harris is someone who can fit in a number of ways when he is healthy. But Mosley will have to give him his best opportunity to contribute and grow.
It is a big year for Harris too. His contract expires at the end of the season. There would be a lot of advantages for both the player and the team to see him recover.