The Orlando Magic had a season full of setbacks last season.
They went from 47 wins and the fifth seed to 41 wins and the seventh seed. They went from losing their first-round series in seven games and knocking on the door to the second round to losing in five games.
Orlando could point to a lot of reasons for why its season derailed this year.
The injuries are the primary reason. Few teams could survive losing their top four players for more than 20 games each, and, at one point, at the same time. Two of those players suffered season-ending injuries before they reached the midpoint of the season.
Still, the Magic's frustrations and shortcomings were apparent in the Playoffs. Even if the team were healthy, it is hard to believe the team would have made it out of the first round. The Magic have a long way to go to reach title contention.
Regardless of the what-ifs of the past season, the Magic made it clear they are expecting more next season.
That was the big takeaway from the day after the season ended. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the team would be making moves with a "win-now" lens. It feels like the team is entering a new phase of its rebuild. One where winning is the priority.
That brings new expectations for everyone. The pressure is on the entire roster to step up. Nobody is hiding from this pressure.
"I do believe it is a win-now scenario for these guys and understanding exactly what we need to do," coach Jamahl Mosley said during exit interviews. "We're not chasing mediocre. You're chasing something bigger."
It first rests with Weltman to make the roster changes and improve the team to make up for the weaknesses that were apparent. The players will have to work on themselves and continue to improve in the offseason too.
But then the baton of pressure passes off to Mosley to bring those pieces together.
In this business, the coach is the first person to receive the blame and face the intense pressure after a team has a poor season. Nobody wants to see a repeat of the 2025 season.
Whatever roster Weltman puts together, it will be on Mosley to bring those pieces together and advance out of the first round. Fans certainly have their questions as appreciative as they are of Mosley and what he has done.
Building the culture
Jamahl Mosley has proven at this point that he is a great developmental coach. He has gotten complete buy-in to his philosophies and his processes. He has ushered the team from the lows of a rebuild to the highs of making the playoffs.
As much as anyone wants to look at his flaws as a coach, it is undeniable that something clicks with him and his roster. The players play hard for him.
The Magic were second in the league in defensive rating last year. There should be plenty of trust in his ability to teach new players the kind of defense he wants to instill. Orlando should have a strong defense so long as Mosley is the coach.
But Orlando still has the intractable problem of playing poor on offense. The team was 27th in the league in offensive rating and had the worst 3-point field goal percentage in the league.
The Magic have won despite this, but it is clear in the Playoffs how short this team is on offensive talent -- even with two star-level players on the roster.
Trying to figure out if the shooting struggles were part of a weird team-wide confidence issue or a problem with tactics is part of what the Magic must figure out this offseason. How much of it is personnel and how much of it is a need to improve the team's offensive gameplanning?
It is a testament to Mosley that Orlando has outperformed expectations in the Playoffs, too. The Orlando Magic exited the postseason impressing the wider NBA world after pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in a back-and-forth series and dragging the Boston Celtics' three-point juggernaut into a drag-out physical fight for five games.
They found success largely because of their coach.
"It's the old expression, a team takes on the personality of its coach," Jeff Weltman said during exit interviews. "I just looked at how much we had thrown at us this season. A coach's job is to provide consistency and stability for his players.
"We never had any baseline stability for that. The coaches are constantly having to reinvent what it was for us to play winning basketball. We fought, we problem solved, I think that says a lot about coach Mosley."
Still, the Magic lost those series, even if they acquitted themselves well. And that is the biggest thing that has changed now. Results matter.
Results matter more now
That may require tweaks in philosophy. It certainly requires tweaks in personnel. For what the Orlando Magic want to do, the team needs to evolve. And Jamahl Mosley needs to evolve with them in some way.
Mosley's offense has given a lot of trust to players to learn and make mistakes. He empowers his players to read what the defense is doing rather than run set plays. The offense is supposed to be about decisions and reads.
That benefits the team in the Playoffs when they have to know how to react against set defenses trying to load up on pet plays. When they are prepared to adjust on the fly, that will serve them well.
But that kind of offense also bogs down when players are unable to make those decisions quickly or accurately. It also bogs down without multiple creators and players who can attack off the ball.
It bogs down too when the shooting is so unreliable that players can sit in the paint.
The Magic need some offensive tweaks to take the next step, as much as they need internal improvement and roster improvements. Mosley said they would leave "no stone unturned" looking for ways to improve, including potentially looking at staff changes. The Magic must find ways to improve.
"As of right now, I'm just looking at what I can do to be better for these guys," Mosley said during exit interviews in early May. "I think I'll look at that down the line. I think for me, it's how do I continue to put these guys in a position to be successful, the players and the coaching staff."
But all of that ultimately will fall on Mosley to get the team in the right space and elevated to the next level when training camp begins in October.
The Magic are expected to make roster tweaks and changes. Failure to deliver on those changes could mean attention will turn to asking if Mosley is the right coach.
This is what everyone signs up for though. Mosley is ultimately judged on whether he can elevate his team and get them to the next level.
For the Magic to consider the upcoming season a success, they will need to make it out of the first round. They will need to win and have a consistent offense, no matter what kind of personnel Mosley gets handed.
With the kind of money the Magic are spending on their roster now, the team should expect results. And while Mosley has masterfully handled the rebuild phase for this team, he still has to prove he can elevate this team to the next phase.
That is the next step for the team at large. And the pressure is on Mosley to usher them to this next phase.