When the Orlando Magic appointed Jamahl Mosley as the team’s new head coach, the enormity of the job ahead of him was clear.
The team is only just starting to embark on its rebuild, and at present does not have a clearly identifiable star that can be built around moving forward.
It could be Jalen Suggs, if the early signs are anything to go by. Or Jonathan Isaac could return to reach his defensive potential while expanding his offensive toolkit. Perhaps both could happen, or someone like Markelle Fultz or Chuma Okeke could take a leap.
There are plenty of possibilities ahead. But with such a young roster, Mosley’s job will primarily be about developing the players to be in a position to win in the future, rather than now. But establishing the right culture and a winning mentality will be important too.
The Orlando Magic have a new young roster and a new coach who could experiment with all the pieces the Magic have. We review some lineups we would like to see.
It will also be vital for Mosley and the team to use next season to find out who can be the key focus of this rebuild moving forward. It is imperative that Mosley experiments next season, both with his starting lineups and his in-game adjustments, and every player should be given the opportunity to impress.
He should use this period of uncertainty and players getting back healthy to test out different lineups to discover what works and perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t.
With that in mind, here are four lineups Mosley should absolutely experiment with next season…
PG: Fultz, SG: Suggs, SF: Okeke, PF: Isaac, C: Carter Jr
There will no doubt be some disagreement among Orlando Magic fans when it comes to what the strongest team is next season. But at present, given what we know about the players, this starting lineup gives the Magic the best chance of winning games.
Despite having seen very little of Jalen Suggs in a Magic uniform, he has shown enough in college and at Summer League to suggest he is the best option alongside Markelle Fultz at the guard spots. Gary Harris, while the best defensive option at the position, has taken a serious step back on offense since his career-best 2018 season with the Denver Nuggets.
This lineup sees Mosley go with the best players at his disposal. It does not fit together all that well, with a noticeable lack of shooting and offensive creation despite its positives on the defensive end, particularly in the frontcourt. But it would not be at all surpising if we see Mosley go with this lineup as the default starting five next year, given Fultz and Isaac are healthy enough to start.
Alongside its obvious defensive benefits, having two guards who can share ball-handling responsibilities could work to the advantage of the team while allowing the individuals included to work on the weaker areas of the game in a lineup with more reliability than others Mosley could name.