Orlando, FL – It was only a matter of time before the Orlando Magic figured it out with their young core and started to become a winning organization again. Through the first quarter of the season, this Magic team has exploded onto the scene, and this is no longer the Orlando Magic of the past.
This city and fanbase have been quenching to feel the excitement of a great Orlando Magic team that they can recall from the days of Penny, Shaq, T-Mac, Dwight, etc. The city has been buzzing all season long as the Magic have now gotten off to their best start in recent memory. They currently have a record of 17-11, good for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, and they have found their identity as a team.
The Orlando Magic of the present has now gained notoriety and respect from players, coaches, executives, and analysts across the basketball world. While many outsiders did not see this Magic team vying for a top seed in the Eastern conference more than a quarter of the way through the season, everyone in that locker room believed in their work ethic and the culture shift surrounding the organization.
Since the departure of Dwight Howard in 2012 the Orlando Magic have had six different head coaches, they’ve had a measly record of 326-585 (.357), and they’ve only made the postseason twice being bounced in the first round on both occasions.
A complete turnaround from consistently being a lottery team and being a team that has been overlooked for over a decade didn’t happen overnight for the Orlando Magic. The Magic continued to build their young core through the draft, they made notable trades that landed them marquee young talent all while acquiring more draft capital, and they continuously worked on player development.
One of the most respected Head Coaches in the NBA is Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra who has appeared in six NBA Finals, won two of them, and is one of the winningest coaches in NBA history. Orlando’s Head Coach Jamahl Mosley and Erik Spoelstra have a history of coaching together for the USA Select Team in 2021 and they both have a ton of mutual respect for one another.
I asked Jamahl Mosley about the impact Spoelstra has had on the association in terms of player development and if there was any inspiration he has taken from him and he responded:
“You know, being with Spo a couple of years ago as an assistant for the USA Select Team was a blessing– You get to watch him work, the way he details things, he’s precise in what he wants and how he’s going to go about doing it. But how he develops guys, the chemistry in which he creates in that culture over there (Miami), is at a high level.”
I later asked Erik Spoelstra about the development he has seen from Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero from his time spent with Team USA this off-season and his growth in year two and he stated:
“I think for so many guys that have played for the USA team when they come back that next year, it’s like an exponential opportunity for growth and confidence. He’s a number one draft pick so the talent is there, but he has a maturity and a work ethic that will allow him to continue to grow. I was impressed with him, he was raised right. I got to meet his family and his dad and he’s a quality person.”
Acquiring young talent via the trade block, through the draft, and then developing those players has been at the forefront of what Jeff Weltman has envisioned for this Magic team. Jamhal Mosley was the perfect hire for the Head Coaching position for this team in 2021 as he has shown that he can develop, and help this team increase their win total every season, and by giving this fanbase hope.
Mosley has transformed this team into a group that is going to be gritty, outwork their contemporaries, adopt a defensive mindset first, and he’s instilled a sense of confidence into every player in that locker room.
The reigning and defending NBA champions in the Denver Nuggets led by Mike Malone had a lot of high praise for Mosley’s group and the defensive prowess of Jonathan Issac and Jalen Suggs. I asked Malone about what he had seen from both of those players and he responded by saying:
“First off Jonathan Isaac you know I don’t know the young man at all but so happy to see him back out there. He’s had a very challenging road–so just being a fan of the NBA and a fan of high-character young men just thrilled for Jonathan Issac to be back out there playing the game. And that guy is just a go-go gadget, he’s just long and athletic, and he covers up a lot of ground, so he uses all of his god-given abilities to help their defense every night. And then Jalen Suggs that guy might be one of the hardest playing guys in the entire league and I love the emotion he plays with. When you’re aggressive and play hard, good things are going to happen, and I think that’s what kind of defines Jalen Suggs.”
Orlando officially put the NBA world on notice in November when they had their nine-game win streak that tied their franchise record for most consecutive wins in a row. That streak featured two wins in Chicago, home wins versus the Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics, and doing this all without Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr.
Former defensive player of the year, two-time MVP, and Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had high praise for the Magic after the Bucks’ 118-114 win over the Magic on Dec.21. After the game Giannis said:
“They’re very very they’re very good team. They’re not the Orlando Magic we used to a couple of years ago that we used to play. They’re very very very more improved– played very well”
Led by reigning rookie of the year Paolo Banchero and third-year forward Franz Wagner the Magic have found their two cornerstone pieces and it’s on the Magic front office to keep building around them. This city and fanbase have been showing up in a big way all season for this team, and they’ve shown that this is no longer the Orlando Magic of the past.
