How do you handle success?
This is a question Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley is excited to finally ask his team. The Magic have been one of the NBA’s forgotten rebuilding projects for years, but entering this week, the surprising young team is on the rise. The Magic are tied for the league’s third-best record and are still in the mix for the NBA in-season tournament crown.
“Early on, we’ve been up in the first half. That’s been our thing. And in the second half, teams are coming,” Mosley told Andscape in a phone interview on Saturday morning. “I’ve used that as a small example of how you handle success on a bigger scale when you are a better record team.
“The teams without the great records are coming at you. How do you handle that? You’re no longer the guy that is chasing teams. Teams are chasing you. And when you have that, how do you handle that? How does that change your approach to the game? And for me, it’s just been dominating the simple things, finding the details of things. That’s the most important thing. Can you stick with your process?”
The process to rebuild the Magic appeared to be quite daunting when Mosley took over as a first-time NBA coach in 2021. Gone were the Magic’s three best players in All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, two-way superathlete forward Aaron Gordon and sharpshooter- guard Evan Fournier. The Magic haven’t made the postseason in four seasons and haven’t had a winning record since 2019.
But with the addition of Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, there was renewed hope. Orlando now has talented young core of Banchero, brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, guards Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, center Wendell Carter Jr., and rookie guard Anthony Black. Mosley believed his group of players were “special” due to their camaraderie, strong support for one another and lack of jealousy.
“It’s one of the best groups I’ve been around because it is a genuine care for the next guy,” Mosley said. “And I think that’s what was selling it for me more than anything. It was about the play on the court some, but it was just about their ability to just stay connected. Summertime getting together, staying together off the court. Like all teams do, video games and going vacationing with guys, all those little things. But there were more guys doing it than usual. The entirety of guys and guys staying connected.
“To me, that was what was bigger. And there was a joy for whoever was successful on any given night. There was never a thing like, ‘oh, that guy’s got it going, now I need to get mine.’ It was like, ‘oh man, I’m so proud of you. Keep doing your thing.’ No matter who it was. And that speaks volumes for a younger group. There is not. ‘who is getting credit?’ It was like, ‘we look good. We all eat and we’re doing the right thing playing the right way.’ ”
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Banchero was the unanimous 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year, averaging 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season. The former Duke star helped the Magic improve from a 22-win in the 2021-22 season to a 34-win club that contended for a play-in berth last season. While winning the rookie of the year award was a goal reached for Banchero, he ended last season with another goal in mind.
“Next year is playoffs or bust for me, for everyone,” Banchero said. “I know the way we’ve been talking to each other, that’s all we’re worried about.”
Banchero improved his game in the offseason by playing for USA Basketball in the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the age of 20. The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder averaged 9.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and shot 58% from the field for the Americans. While the United States had a disappointing fourth-place finish, Mosley believed Banchero improved his versatility defensively, his ability to play multiple positions and his playmaking.
Mosley also sensed a higher level of confidence from the mild-mannered Banchero.
“It also said, ‘I’m around my peers and I belong around these peers,’ ” Mosley said. “Sometimes as a young guy you’re like, ‘OK, I’ve been around so-and-so, I’ve seen it from afar.’ But him, [it’s], ‘I’m here and I deserve to be here.’ He’s such a quiet, confident kid and a humble kid at the same time. It’s a beautiful thing how his personality is because he just wants to win, man. He don’t care. He just wants to win.”
Orlando has put the NBA on notice with a 12-5 overall record and a seven-game winning streak with victories over the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks and NBA star LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers. Orlando is off to its best start since going 11-5 during the 2011-12 season.
Keep in mind that the Magic entered the season with its players averaging just 24.79 years of age and had 11 players with three years or less of NBA experience. And with each win, the Magic’s belief in themselves appears to be growing.
“When it gets to game time, you got to play the right way, play smart and with each other and for each other. And once we do that, we have a chance to beat anyone in this league,” Moritz Wagner said after the Boston win.
It’s been a team effort for the Magic this season as no player was averaging over 20 points entering the week but six are averaging 11 or more. Orlando entered the week tied with the Houston Rockets for the No. 1 defensive rating (106.8) in the NBA. Orlando also has limited opponents to less than 100 points in six of 17 games.
“Coach Mos, I give him credit, he came in from training camp saying he wanted to be a No. 1-caliber defensive team in the league,” Banchero said. “That is what we have been so far. Give huge credit to the coaches for instilling that in us and the players for executing it.”
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So, is Mosley surprised by his Magic’s hot start?
“Yes and no. We’ve known how special this group is,” Mosley said. “Our coaching staff prepares these dudes like nobody’s business. And I will roll with these guys, the staff, until the wheels fall off because they’re so good at caring about these guys and doing the things and detailing it. And you see how special each one of these guys that steps on the floor is and how hard they play and how they really do work for each other.
“Surprising? Yes and no … I know what we’re capable of doing and that’s what we’ve been saying. We have a chance to be very special if these guys believe. And now they’re starting to believe how good we can be if we do the right things.”
Banchero and the other Magic players vying for their first playoff appearance have an opportunity to get a sense of what postseason basketball is like through the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. All 30 NBA teams have been competing in the in-season tournament with eight advancing to the quarterfinals before the final four head to Las Vegas for the semifinals and championship game. Banchero has said that the prize of $500,000 for each player on the winning team was inspiring him to play harder.
Orlando finished East Group C play with a 3-1 record. The Magic clinch the East’s Group C if the Brooklyn Nets lose to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. If the Magic, Nets and Celtics all finish 3-1, Group C will be won by point differential. Orlando would also have a shot at a wild-card berth if it doesn’t win Group C. If they win Group C or a wild card, the Magic would be one win away from making it to the in-season tournament semifinals on Dec. 7.
“For our guys, it’s an opportunity to play and compete for something in the middle of the year,” Mosley said. “And not going to lie, most of our guys are like, ‘Let’s look at that [$500,000].’ Nobody is saying that the cup is not a thing. It’s an opportunity to get something in the middle of the [season], and say you are the first one that did it if you have an opportunity to get there.”
Banchero said: “It has been great getting a chance to play for something.”
Mosley said his staples for the Magic are to compete every game, be detailed in their preparation, keep from beating themselves, to fight for one another and have joy in their job daily. Can the young Magic players stay focused on those staples with their foes taking them more seriously and the national attention starting to arrive?
Mosley believes his Magic are focused to be a special team in this potentially franchise-altering season.
“I don’t hear anything, [but] they are,” Mosley said of new attention. “But I always remind them, good or bad, it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, we have to make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”
“Are we competing every single night? Are we detailing our work? Are we playing the right way? Are you covering for each other and fighting for each other? Then are you having sense of joy and enthusiasm every time you touch the floor? I don’t want them to take it for granted.”
