Coach Jamahl Mosley Reveals How Magic Built Their Culture

After winning just 22 games in Jamahl Mosley's first season as the Orlando Magic's head coach, they reached the playoffs two years later and have one of the brightest futures in the NBA.

May 3, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic didn't just become a playoff team and have one of the brightest futures in the league overnight.

The foundation for Orlando was laid in 2021 when they hired Jamahl Mosley as their head coach and drafted Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner with their first-round picks. While the Magic only won 22 games in the 2021-22 season, Mosley noted on JJ Redick's podcast "The Old Man and the Three" how despite the struggles that came with losing 60 games, the work and belief that a young team was building toward something never wavered.

"We were the same in wins and losses," Mosley said. "We did the same work, the same communication, same positivity and it's not always easy, but you're building towards something. If you can see the vision of what you're building towards, even when it's not right there in front of you, that's why the small successes are important, but it's also if you're uplifting people, it helps the environment and keeps the environment knowing that we're all in this together."

That approach, along with the addition of superstar forward Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft paved the way for Orlando's success last season, as it won 47 games and was the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to Game 7 before getting eliminated. With the success starting to become evident, Mosley mentioned the importance of his approach as a first-time head coach and consistently putting his players in the best position to succeed.

"It's continuing to serve in every moment," Mosley said. "Continue to serve and help these guys become their best. That's where it has to start that they see that part of the process like they're getting better. You can celebrate the small successes but there's joy in every part of the game and you've got to know you're moving towards something."

Now, the Magic are building toward being a consistent force in the Eastern Conference with the fifth-youngest team in the NBA with the cap space and assets to add established players. If the Magic and continue their upward trajectory from the previous two seasons with the same foundation that got them to this point, they'll have a shot to become one of the NBA's best for the foreseeable future.

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• WELTMAN WILDLY IMPRESSED WITH PAOLO: Paolo Banchero’s growth in his second season helped guide the Orlando Magic to their best season since 2011 and first playoff appearance since 2020. CLICK HERE

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