In the locker room after the Orlando Magic's 102-101 win over the Brooklyn Nets, coach Jamahl Mosley addressed his team as they paused their celebrations. He singled out two players for their contributions to the win.
The first went to Cole Anthony. He hit the game-winning runner with one second left after two turnover-filled and difficult games amidst a difficult season. He did not play in the first half, even with Anthony Black out for the game with back spasms.
He was only pressed into duty after Trevelin Queen committed three turnovers in less than six minutes and Jalen Suggs sat out the second half with a sprained right wrist.
The second went to Caleb Houstan.
Houstan has played even fewer minutes than Anthony before Sunday's game. But desperate for some shooting and searching for the right lineup to spark an anemic offense, Mosley turned to the young forward and found it.
He made the game-tying 3-pointer that pushed the Magic back into the game.
They both made critical plays in crunch time with the game in the balance despite being out of the rotation to begin the game. They both made clear cases for more playing time with what they can contribute. They were both players Mosley felt he could turn to when something in his depleted lineup was not working.
That readiness needed acknowledgment in the locker room. It spoke to something ingrained in the Magic as a unit and as a team. Everyone was ready to contribute to the win and their coach was ready to go to anyone who could help them win.
inside the locker room after the W 💙 pic.twitter.com/IitncIMDBK
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 30, 2024
Everyone was indeed ready when their number was called.
"It speaks so much to the resiliency of our guys, the grit of our guys, the preparation of the coaching staff keeping guys that have not played ready to go, knowing that they can light a spark at any moment," Mosley said after Sunday's game. "That's what you saw tonight. No matter how much we've been down, these guys are going to continue to fight."
Searching for the right rotation
The Orlando Magic were in a rough spot Sunday. With Jalen Suggs essentially playing without his dominant hand for a half, the team looked disorganized and struggled to find offense. The places Jamahl Mosley typically turned were not working.
Jett Howard has taken a lot of playing time for the threat of his shooting, but he missed all three of his shots in 12 minutes Sunday.
Trevelin Queen has earned playing time with his tireless defense in the last few games. He had the energy but Queen had three turnovers in 5.5 minutes as the Magic fell further behind.
With so many players out and the rotation jumbled around, Mosley searched for something that could work.
It has been a difficult season and a tough start for Cole Anthony. It makes sense why Mosley has been hesitant to turn to him.
Anthony had the breakout 35-point game in the comeback win over the Miami Heat. But he followed that up with 10 points and five turnovers against the Boston Celtics and by going scoreless with four turnovers in the loss to the Miami Heat, turning it over early in the fourth quarter as the Heat began to cut into the lead.
Anthony had 11 turnovers over his previous three games and 17 in his previous five. It is understandable why Mosley was hesitant to turn to him and left him on the bench until he had to go to him.
But the Magic know what Anthony is capable of and how fearless he is. It may be a "break glass in case of emergency" with his turnover troubles, but the Magic know what they can count on from Anthony. He is unafraid to take the next shot.
He hit the game-winner against the Nets on Sunday. But more importantly, he had zero turnovers—the biggest key in that comeback win. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting. But for a team that needed some aggression offensively,
Anthony gave them the exact push they needed.
"Everybody who wears this Orlando Magic uniform currently puts the work in," Cole Anthony said after Sunday's game. "It's not a question of anyone's ability, it’s just a matter of opportunity. Opportunities come for a lot of us. I didn't play great but I did something all right."
Houstan was even further down on the bench. Houstan was averaging only 6.2 minutes per game in 21 appearances. He has played more than 10 minutes in a game just twice before Sunday's game. He had become a shooter who did not get the chance to gain a rhythm and shoot.
He entered the game in the second half and made a major impact. He scored 12 points off the bench, making three of his four 3-pointers. He made two in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying three with 49.3 seconds left.
Houstan then made another big play getting a steal that set up Goga Bitadze's go-ahead free throws.
Houstan credited the coaching staff for keeping him ready with five-on-five games with the video staff and assistant coaches or going down to the G-League for some spot minutes and games.
That he could step in with so little playing time and finish a game successfully speaks to the work everyone is putting in. Mosley has dove deep into his bench because he knows every player is prepared to play when they step in.
"I think just sticking with it. We've got a lot of good players," Houstan said after Sunday's game. "I think it's a credit to the coaches for keeping us going whether we're down, whether we're up trying to play the same way."
The injuries to this roster have forced Mosley to spend every game seeking lineup combinations and players to work. The deeper into the bench you dive, the less dependability and consistency you find. And Mosley is looking for which players he can depend on each night it seems.
But he has options. It is just about finding the right one quickly.
Seeking consistency
There are many talented players on this Orlando Magic roster. But the trick to gaining playing time is consistency. And that is the element players like Cole Anthony or Caleb Houstan have been missing.
However, it is also a strong characteristic of this team that players learn from those mistakes and work to improve. They are ready when their number is called, support their teammates when they are on the bench and work when the wheel turns to them.
Every player on the roster is going to get a chance at some point in the season. With all these injuries, the Magic's depth and consistency are getting tested.
Mosley is still searching for something he can trust. But he is willing to experiment and find it through the course of the game.
Still, when someone like Anthony was called upon, he was ready. And Anthony has always stepped up in clutch moments for this team throughout his career. Houstan stepped up too in Sunday's win.
They gave the credit to Mosley and the coaching staff for setting the standard for every player and putting in the work to keep everybody ready.
"Mose came in from day one and set a standard for this team," Anthony said after Sunday's game while first promoting Mosley's Coach of the Year candidacy. "That standard starts on the defensive end, then we worry about the offense. I think he has done such a great job just keeping everybody ready and keeping everybody motivated. He helped me lock in today. We've got a bunch of dogs, that's really what it is."
Anthony and Houstan stepped up in the big moment Sunday and earned perhaps another look in the rotation as the Magic continue to piece this team together and win. The biggest thing they learned is that everyone on the roster is capable of something meaningful.
And that is a big testament to this team and its coach.