Jamahl Mosley finally arrived in New Orleans officially to take the mantle as the New Orleans Pelicans' new head coach on Tuesday.
There was a lot of talk that was familiar to Orlando Magic fans -- including the four things he would not compromise on. Those were the team's defensive commitment, physicality, being on time for everything (especially rotations) and communications and togetherness.
The Pelicans touted the alignment Jamahl Mosley had with executive vice president Joe Dumars to build a tough-minded defensive team.
This is not a Pelicans team starting from the same place he took over the Magic. They are not starting from scratch.
True, there are plenty of young players in need of development and perhaps some more moves to come in the offseason. But this is a team with plenty of veterans eager for an opportunity.
What Mosley's task will be is to reframe and rework one of the worst defenses in the league into the kind of team he is used to coaching. The kind of team he believes can win and has won in Orlando.
Mosley is taking most of his staff with him to New Orleans -- Brett Brielmaier, Dale Osbourne, Randy Gregory and God Shammgod will all leave Orlando. The Magic are truly beginning a new era.
But Mosley's press conference left one more lesson for a young Magic team eager for its next steps. The team cannot forget part of its rebuilding mindset.
"We're not going to skip steps," Jamahl Mosley said during his introductory press conference. "Because greatness has to be step by step. Culture is built not by the words that you say but by the work you put in. And it's daily. The consistent habits of us being great is us holding each other accountable, high levels of communication and real conversations that help us all grow toward a championship."
The Magic must remember these foundations that Mosley taught as they get a new coach looking to build on top of it.
They cannot skip any steps in their next coach either.
The Magic's steps on the way up
The Orlando Magic's build has been patient. Sometimes frustratingly so.
The team has tried to build things organically. It started with the players the team picked in the draft, building around the trio of players in Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
The Magic started their journey with Jamahl Mosley at 22 wins and improved to 34 wins (and the last team eliminated from the postseason) to 47 wins and a first trip to the Playoffs. Orlando stagnated after that, as injuries hit, with 41 and 45 wins. The Magic moved on from Mosley because the team could not break through into the next round.
But nevertheless, the Magic finished third in defensive rating in 2024 and second in 2025. Everyone knew what kind of team the Magic were. That is what the New Orleans Pelicans are hoping Mosley can bring to the team. They saw the process.
Even with those struggles the last two years, the Magic did not seem to skip any steps. They wanted things to grow internally, adding a veteran in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to help bring some seriousness. And then pushing their chips in to invest in the group they had built in acquiring Desmond Bane.
Additions have often been sprinkled into the established group. Orlando has favored continuity to encourage growth in a young roster.
Orlando's process has been a faith in their own development and the stars they have invested in.
Those are typically the right steps. Teams get in trouble when they forget who they are. It is no wonder that the Magic are likely looking at defensive-minded coaches -- Billy Donovan, Sean Sweeney and Jeff Van Gundy -- despite how strong their defense is and their need for offensive creativity.
Orlando may have moved on from the coach who built the team, but it is not abandoning the principles he built.
Moving on was part of the process
The reality is that this is a results-based business.
The Orlando Magic had stagnated. Their defense slipped to 13th in the league last year after establishing itself as one of the best in the league. And the team invested a ton of money to be a contender. The team still feels a long way from that.
Orlando did not part with Mosley as a panic move for failing to meet expectations. The team parted with Mosley because the team felt it had reached its ceiling. It needed a new voice to take the team to its next level.
Mosley would understand that too. Self-evaluation is part of the process.
"I think as the process goes on and you are in it, you don't have time to step away," Mosley said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday. "I'm constantly reflecting on what I can do better. That's the reason I brought the staff that I brought in because they are constantly telling me the truth about myself. When you can have people tell you the truth about what you ned to improve or what you do great, you can really evaluate it the right way."
Even Mosley supporters had to be honest that the team's offense hit a wall. No one could get past what happened at the end of Game 6 and the team's inability to find something easy to break the spell -- even if the Detroit Pistons deserve their share of credit.
Orlando had too many moments like that throughout the season -- and Mosley's five seasons.
The Magic had to step back and look at their path and ask themselves if Mosley was the one to take them there.
Anyone being honest could say the team left something on the table, even if injuries slowed the team down. Their coach could not find a way to get the team on track.
They were merely keeping their head above water. Moving on to find a new leader is something a lot of championship teams end up going through.
A lot of what Mosley did was good. His five years in Orlando should be viewed as a complete success. He delivered what he promised.
But the last lesson is not to skip steps. The Magic should keep that in mind as they look for Mosley's replacement. They need a coach who can keep them on their path and not overpromise and underdeliver.
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