What the Magic Will Miss After God Shammgod Joins Jamahl Mosley's Pelicans

The Orlando Magic coaching staff is facing another possible setback after the announcement of assistant coach God Shammgod joining Jamahl Mosley with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Shammgod, 50, joined Mosley's Magic staff ahead of the 2025-26 campaign after spending time as a player development coach for Providence College (2012-15) and the Dallas Mavericks (2019-25). His arrival sparked hope for the young Magic core, specifically third-year pro Anthony Black, who reached new heights and credited Shammgod with part of his development.

“I think Shamm has done a tremendous job with AB," Mosley said back in November after Black scored 11 points in a win against the New York Knicks.

"His ability to finish, you see it last game, going and finishing dunks, going to the rim, attacking the basket, different ways of finishing. Shamm's done a tremendous job with him. He's a +21 tonight, his ability to play defense on multiple players and he's got a tenacity about him that he's gonna find a way, and that's a thing that we're gonna continue to need from him as we move forward."

I asked Orlando Magic HC Jamahl Mosley about Anthony Black developing his handles and finishing at the rim under the guidance of Magic Coach God Shammgod

“Shamm has done a tremendous job with AB, his ability to finish… attacking the basket, finishing in different ways.” pic.twitter.com/hfu1E8rCM4
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) November 23, 2025

Anthony Black is Biggest Loser in Coaching Change

Black was one of the top draft picks in the Mosley era, taken with the No. 6 selection in the historic 2023 NBA Draft. The franchise views Black as someone that can rise and become one of the Magic's top players for the future, but with Mosley and Shammgod going to the Pelicans, it puts his future in doubt.

Black improved in each season under Mosley, but his 2025-26 campaign was his best yet, his first with Shammgod on the coaching staff.

Anthony Black Stat	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
Points	4.6	9.4	15.0
Rebounds	2.0	3.0	3.8
Assists	1.3	3.1	3.7
Steals	0.5	1.1	1.4
Blocks	0.3	0.6	0.7

Shammgod has experience working with players like Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, both of whom have become elite point guards in the NBA. The Magic brought Shammgod into the fold in hopes that Black could have a similar leap and it's clear that the assistant coach rubbed off on the young guard.

Had Shammgod stayed with the Magic, Black's chances at taking an even bigger leap were higher. However, that won't be the case in Orlando. Black can still grow a lot under the next coaching staff, but it remains to be seen who that will be with as the Magic have yet to finalize their head coaching search.

The Magic view Black as an integral part of their future with the point guard spot as the biggest question mark for the team. While Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner appear to be the future at each forward spot and Desmond Bane is the prime shooting guard for the team, the Magic are still trying to figure out whether Black, Jalen Suggs or somebody else will be their point guard to take them to new heights.

Black has one year remaining on his contract before hitting restricted free agency, but there's a chance the front office could prevent him from seeing the open market next summer by signing him to an extension now. The front office did the same for Suggs, Wagner and Banchero when their rookie deals were up.

The front office may be hesitant to invest more into this young core considering the fact that they will have a new coaching staff in the building next season that may want to take a different direction. That being said, the Magic are confident in the players they have drafted up until this point, including Black, and they think Orlando has a team that can make deep runs in the playoffs.

The Magic hope to find a coach to help Black reach those new levels, but it remains to be seen if that assistant can teach like Shammgod can. Firing Mosley was a risk, but it's one the Magic were willing to take based on the direction they were going in over the last two seasons.

The Magic have to nail this coaching hire, not just for Black's ascendance, but to ensure this core gets a fair shot at reaching their full potential.

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