By now, the Orlando Magic have solidified themselves as a dark horse conference champion under the leadership of one of the best coaches in the NBA. The team already managed to survive a serious injury to Paolo Banchero and now won one game with Franz Wagner sidelined as well.
The Orlando Magic finished the 2021-22 season with a 22-60 overall record. At that point, no one thought this turnaround was possible, especially in such a short period. A large credit has to go to the leader of the team, head coach Jamahl Mosley. In his fourth year, he has transformed the team in Central Florida into a real live beast in the Eastern Conference.
Mosley’s defensive schemes to attack the ball handler and protect the rim at all costs have reinvigorated the franchise and made everyone believe in his acumen. He has morphed the Magic into a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.
This coach has a winning record and has not had access to a full roster, like most teams that have 17 wins or more. Paolo Banchero has only played in five games this year which means coach Mosley has coached this team to 21 games without the star forward. The fact that Mosley can win without Banchero in the starting lineup means that he is able to make the necessary adjustments to the lineup regardless of the talent he has at his disposal. He has made some genius decisions on both sides of the ball after the unexpected injury to Banchero.
Jamahl Mosley has made all the right moves in the absence of his star players
First of all, inserting Tristan da Silva into the starting lineup was a great decision. Mosley understands that da Silva has a unique build and ability as a rookie and only needs a little bit of confidence to add to his skill set. His belief in da Silva has strengthened the depth of the roster as Banchero heals from his injury.
Secondly, putting the ball in Franz Wagner's hands and giving him the keys in his fourth year was a next-level genius move as well. Wagner was on the cusps of his first All-Star selection before his injury because Mosley believed in his abilities after Banchero's injury. Wagner has gained confidence during this time, and a lot of that credit has to go to Mosley for designing the plays around him and believing he could do it on consistently, despite the doubts that surfaced during the offseason.
And lastly, giving Goga Bitadze minutes at the center position after Wendell Carter Jr.'s injury has to be the greatest move of them all. This move has Bitadze's confidence through the roof, and now a member of the Magic's bench has the confidence to play against other starting centers. Against the Phoenix Suns, he made quite the statement. Mosley has decided to continue to play through Bitadze even after Carter Jr.'s return because of his defensive effort. Mosley placed Carter Jr. at the starting power forward position in Paolo's absence.
These coaching moves, combined with the way the Magic have been able to win, should have the Magic's fourth-year coach at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to NBA Coach of the Year candidates. Last year, he finished second behind Oklahoma City Thunder's Mark Daigneault, whose squad became the youngest team in NBA history to finish first in any conference. The Thunder finished the season with an overall record of 57-25, while the Magic finished three wins from 50.
This year, the Thunder are first in the West and are looking to make another push toward a title, but their core players have largely been healthy except for Chet Holmgren. On the flip side, the Magic’s core players are injured, and Mosley has still been able to weather the storm and have Orlando as a top three seed.
This year the award should go to the runner up from last year.