Orlando, FL — The 35th season anniversary for the Orlando Magic was not only a season that will go down in the record books, but will forever be remembered as one of the most pivotal seasons in the history of this franchise.
Success didn’t happen overnight for this young Magic group, and they’ve faced a lot of adversity from roster turnover, battling through injuries, etc. But how did this Magic team go from a playoff team in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20, to a lottery team in a complete rebuild?
In February of 2021, Jeff Weltman and the Magic front office cleaned house by trading away multiple players who had been a part of the nucleus of this Magic team for multiple seasons. Orlando would end up trading away at the NBA trade deadline former two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier, while also firing now former Head Coach Steve Clifford at the end of the 2020-21 season. Orlando would stockpile multiple picks and young players that would help shape the future of this organization.
After spending 15 years as an assistant coach working for the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Dallas Mavericks the Orlando Magic hired Jamahl Mosley to become the next Head Coach of the team in the summer of 2021. Molsey came into the organization and immediately there was a shift in the culture of this team, and he established an identity on the defensive side of the ball. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his intellect, his knowledge of the game, and the level of emphasis he puts on player development.
Mosley was immediately faced with a tall task heading into the 2021 NBA Draft as the Magic had two lottery picks at number five and eight overall. Orlando had acquired the eighth pick in the draft from the Chicago Bulls via the Nikola Vucevic trade and it was the first of two first-round selections they acquired in that trade. The Magic struck gold by landing two players who are undoubtedly a part of the big three for this group by selecting both Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner.
Mosley’s first season as the Head Coach of the Magic wasn’t anything to write home about, but expectations were low as Orlando finished with a record of 22-60 as the 15th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Now heading into the 2022 NBA Draft the Magic, Rockets, and Pistons held a three-way tie with a 14% chance to land the number one overall pick. According to many NBA analysts and scouts, there was no consensus as to who the number one pick should be between Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jabari Smith.
The city of Orlando erupted as Deputy Commissioner of the NBA Mark Tatum announced that the Houston Rockets had landed the number two overall pick, which gave the first overall selection in the draft to the Orlando Magic. There was a lot of speculation heading into the draft as to who the Magic would take with the first overall pick, and now two years later reflecting on the Paolo Banchero selection, this was a franchise-alerting move.
Paolo Banchero immediately came into the association and showed why he was one of the brightest young players in the game. Banchero put together a historic rookie season that we haven’t seen since the likes of an all-time great player like LeBron James.
Not only was Banchero’s physical stature and style of play nearly identical to that of LeBron James, but his numbers were glaringly similar to LeBron’s rookie season back in 2003. Banchero became the first rookie since LeBron to finish his rookie season with 40 20-point games, the same amount LeBron James had as a rookie.
When you statistically compare their rookie seasons Paolo Banchero in 72 games averaged 20.0 PPG (42.7% FG, 29.8% 3PT, 73.8% FT), 6.9 RPG, 3.7 APG in 33.8 minutes per game. In 2003 LeBron James appeared in 79 games and averaged 20.9 PPG (41.7% FG, 29% 3PT, 75.4% FT), 5.5 RPG, and 5.9 APG. Both Paolo and LeBron went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, and Banchero became one of three Magic players to have achieved that honor (Shaquille O’Neal and Mike Miller).
Jamahl Mosley’s now second year as a Head Coach in the association was a drastic improvement as the team finished with a record of 34-48 and as the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference.
While expectations internally had risen for Jamahl Mosley and his group going into year three, expectations across the league were still tempered. In hindsight, Orlando was coming off a season in which they had a 12-game win improvement, showed tremendous signs of player development, and was one of the best defensive teams in the entire association after the All-Star break. Many expected Orlando to be competitive, make strides with their core nucleus of players, and maybe clinch a berth in the Play-In tournament.
According to Covers NBA win total odds the Magic’s win total was listed at over/under 37.5 wins going into the 2023-24 season. The Magic blew those numbers and expectations out of the water and they had proven to the NBA community very early on that they were a force to be reckoned with.
To tip off the 35th season anniversary at home, the Orlando Magic blew out the Houston Rockets in a dominating performance as they won the contest 116-86. Orlando did a phenomenal job of being aggressive, getting inside with 54 points in the paint, and playing stifling defense which would be their team’s calling card all season long.
Fast-forward a few weeks ahead to the middle of November and this young, scrappy, and confident Magic team went on a nine-game win streak that would tie the franchise record for most consecutive wins in a row. The win streak began with back-to-back road wins in Chicago that featured a Paolo Banchero game-winner and wins over two of the best teams in the association the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics. From that moment forward there was a belief that this team had now begun something special.
Although it has been a total and team effort, doing it by committee as some would say, enough cannot be said about third-year guard Jalen Suggs and his overall development. Suggs continued to display night-in and night-out that he is one of the best and most tenacious perimeter defenders in the NBA. I had asked Denver Nuggets Head Coach Mike Malone about Jalen Suggs and his play on the defensive side of the ball and he stated,
“Jalen Suggs, man that guy may be one of the hardest playing guys in the entire league. I love the emotion he plays with. Last night he’s going coast-to-coast, he’s pounding his chest, he’s sticking his tongue out I mean he’s just leaving his imprint all over the floor—When you’re aggressive and play hard, good things are going to happen. And I think that’s what kinda defines Jalen Suggs, how physical, how aggressive, how confident he is, and it’s really impressive to watch.”
Injuries and the lack of a consistent perimeter shot were the biggest factors that hindered Suggs in the first two seasons of his career. Suggs had missed 63 games in the first two seasons combined which was 38.4% of the Magic’s games. Jalen also struggled mightily with his shot from deep as he shot 21.4% in his rookie season and 32.7% in his sophomore season. Suggs was able to stay upright and battle through multiple injuries this season as he appeared in 75 of the Magic’s 82 games in the regular season, a significant stride from his first two seasons.
The biggest area of improvement for Jalen Suggs was with his three-point shooting, it was night and day. Jalen Suggs this season shot an incredible 39.7% from behind the arch all while taking a higher volume of three-point attempts.
“It goes to the body of work that he puts in.” Jamahl Mosley when asked about Jalen Suggs’s offensive growth. “It goes into the belief and trust that these guys have in him, his confidence, and what he’s capable of doing. He put in a great summer, the game is slowing down for him in so many ways, so I think just being able to be confident in everything that he does and the guys having confidence in him.”
We are now in an era of basketball where we see superteams come together, and owners pushing all their chips to the middle of the table to win a championship due to external pressure. The Orlando Magic have identified a philosophy that works for them and they firmly believe in chemistry and continuity. I asked Jamahl Mosley about the core of this team largely being intact since he took over in 2021 and he stated,
“Well, enough cannot be said, you know, to Jeff Weltman and his group and the organization for being willing to stick with this process of guys improving and growing and developing. Us as coaches our job is to help develop guys to get them better. And to be able to keep the same group together is big. Guys coming in, understand exactly what they’re expected to do, the program that we’ve put in place, the way in which we work every single day was the same at 22 wins, as it was at 34 wins, as it is now. So the way in which we show up every single day will be the same in wins and losses.”
Those words continued to resonate throughout the team’s locker room and their work ethic was top-tier, as it resulted in more wins in the win column. Paolo Banchero continued to lead this Magic team as the young face of this franchise, and he put together a sophomore surge that resulted in him earning his first All-Star appearance in February.
Two-time NBA champion and one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NBA Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat was very fond of Paolo Banchero and his growth in year two. Spoelstra got to spend time up close with Banchero during the FIBA World Cup and when asked about his development he stated,
“I think for so many guys that have played for the USA team when they come back that next year, it’s really an exponential opportunity for growth. He has a maturity and also a work ethic that will allow him to continue to grow. I was really impressed with him this summer. He was the youngest player on the team, but as the tournament games went on he became more and more important for that team in terms of his versatility, his size, and he adapted really well to the FIBA game.”
Banchero became the first All-Star for the Orlando Magic since Nikola Vucevic did it twice back in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Jamahl Mosley continued to speak highly of Banchero and when he was named to the All-Star game Mosley stated:
“But for him and his journey, I think it’s just something special. What he said he was going to do as a rookie, he did. What he said he was going to do in his second season, he’s done. But it just goes to the work that he puts in, the work that the coaches put in with him, and the constant belief that he has in himself and his teammates have in him. I think it says so much about him, the organization, and the belief that we have in who he is.”
The Magic went into the All-Star break five games above .500 with a record of 30-25, and they would have the easiest strength of schedule remaining post-All-Star break. In early March, the Magic clinched their 35th win of the season with a 113-91 win over the Detroit Pistons which was significant since they had now surpassed their previous win total in 2022-23. Markelle Fultz addressed the significance of that feat and the mentality of the team moving forward in the post-game presser by stating,
“I think it’s big, but we’ve got a bigger picture. We kinda talked about it a little bit today about staying locked in and our expectations. Again, I think we’ve just got to continue to take it one game at a time. We’re going to be good; you know I think we have a really good team. Everybody has the same mindset. Everybody’s locked into winning. Everybody wants to win. We definitely are aware of it, but we have bigger goals within our team, and [have] a higher standard for ourselves.”
The Magic two weeks later would hit another significant benchmark by clinching a berth in the Play-In Tournament with a win over the Charlotte Hornets on March 19th.
“We’ve lost small pieces, we’ve added small pieces, but this same core group, we’ve all been here.” Jalen Suggs on the team clinching a berth in the Play-In Tournament. “Like you said, just seeing how it was when we’re losing. Seeing how it was when we were struggling. Continuing to find our way individually and as a unit. Now to this year, it all kind of [came] together. You see the camaraderie, the joy, the competitiveness, and just how much everybody’s grown individually and as a unit; all [coming] together it’s just beautiful to watch. Honestly, it’s beautiful to be a part of– So to see it all together, you know, winning, having fun, and getting ready to play competitive basketball is a blessing. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
While Orlando was soaring sky high, it was not always glitz and glamor for the Magic. There was a very tight race in the Eastern Conference from the number two seed down to the number eight seed, separating the standings by just a few games. During the Magic’s eight-game homestand at the end of March, where every game was critical in terms of moving up the standings, Orlando had fallen short to some tough Western Conference teams.
The Magic would drop three games in a row to veteran teams that had a ton of playoff and championship experience. Maybe the youth and inexperience of the Magic were now fully on display with close down to the wire losses to the Kings, Warriors, and Clippers. Jamahl Mosley addressed after the one-possession loss to the Clippers how this can be a learning opportunity for his group and he stated,
“It’s always growth. I think it’s always growth, it’s always figuring out ways to battle in these situations. You cannot film these situations from a different team. You have to go through it and help continue to understand exactly what it is we need to do in all of those scenarios. We’ve been in each and every single game– So, that’s learning growth from our side, as coaches, as well as our players recognizing what we need to do in these games.”
The Magic finished the regular season with victory at home over the Milwaukee Bucks clinching a playoff berth, and the Magic would finish the year with a record of 47-35, as the number five seed in the Eastern Conference.
“Yeah, it means a lot to everybody. You know, we looked at this game as a do-or-die game.” Franz Wagner on the team clinching a berth in the NBA Playoffs. “Most guys haven’t been in the playoffs. Most guys that are on the team were in 20-win seasons and stuff like that. It means a lot to everybody, the coaching staff that came in three years ago, and I think it means a lot to the whole group. I think it’s good to enjoy this today but also know that we don’t just want to make the playoffs.”
Orlando would go on to play a very fun and entertaining first-round series versus Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Magic would end up blowing an 18-point lead and losing the series in seven, it was a bittersweet end to a historical season. Concluding the Magic’s final home game of the season with a 103-96 win over the Cavs in game six, both Jamahl Mosley and Jalen Suggs continued to address the growth of this team.
I asked Jamahl Mosley after the game six win about how much work and fine detail has gone into every moment to get this squad from a team two months ago that was on a three-game losing skid to now winning tight playoff games:
“Their ability to reflect on those experiences. I think you can go through them and if you don’t reflect on them, and know what exactly has gotten you to that point, then it’s pointless. And our guys have reflected, and you can look back at those situations and look back at those moments.
But more than anything, I think it says so much about our coaching staff and the job that they’ve done to keep these guys prepared, to keep these guys ready for any moment, when their time or number is called. And I think it really says so much about them and this group and the way that they continue to bond together.”
Jalen Suggs was just as fond and ecstatic about the team’s performance and ability to keep their season alive. Suggs after game six was asked about the poise that this team has continued to display as he stated:
“I think it’s a state of being, we’re all so present. We’re all so in the moment, and I think that’s a ton of growth. We’ve done it all year, from before training camp and guys were in here at the end of summer. During the summer. After every workout we’re breathing together, we’re meditating together. You know, me personally myself, it’s become a big part of my routine stretching, meditating, continuing to become one with my mind, my spirit, my emotions. And I’ve felt the growth in moments where I would’ve went left, went right, allow my emotions to sway– I’ve allowed my love for my brothers, my love for this game, and for the city to continue to motivate me, keep me locked in, in the moment, and all of us have used that. And the way that we’ve grown and responded and answered the call for two years now when times are rough and when times are good, it makes these moments so sweet.”
This Magic team has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of after they relentlessly continued to over-achieve and exceed expectations all year long. This Magic team not only has an All-Star in Paolo Banchero who will now be entering his third year in the league. They have the heart and soul of this team in Jalen Suggs who is more than likely going to make the All-NBA Defensive team and has drastically improved with his shooting from three. Franz Wagner continued to display why he is one of the best and most versatile young wings in the game of basketball.
Wendell Carter Jr has proven to be a valuable commodity when healthy. Off the bench, Orlando still has Cole Anthony locked down for the next few seasons after he received his well-earned contract extension. Mo Wagner, Jonathan Issac, and so many more players have made such an impact on this team and they will more than likely continue to be a part of the long-term plan moving forward. And we haven’t even mentioned both of the Magic’s lottery picks in 2023 both Anthony Black and Jett Howard who are expected to play a large role for the Magic next season.
The Orlando Magic are projected to have one of the largest numbers in cap space entering the 2024 offseason and expect them to be big spenders to bring in high-quality talent to upgrade their roster. The Magic have proven to the NBA community that this is one of the best young teams on the rise, and the future is bright for the Orlando Magic.
