The Magic Death Lineup Is Alive

We have so many ball-handlers and multiple guys that can make plays – that’s the beauty of what we have with our team.
Jamahl Mosley

At the pregame press conference before Orlando hosted the Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks, I asked Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley about the possibility of seeing Paolo Banchero at Center tonight, given that Giannis Antetokounmpo was out for the night and, at the time, Wendell Carter Jr. had been added to the injury report as questionable.

Coach Mosley wasn't ready to reveal his hand:

I would love to tell you that is what we are going to do, but I am not gonna give you the gameplan if it happens
Jamahl Mosley

I asked Orlando HC Jamahl Mosley if we could see Paolo Banchero at the five with Wendell and Giannis out tonight in Magic - Bucks:

“I would love to tell you that’s what we’re going to do, but I’m not gonna give you the gameplan if it happens” pic.twitter.com/taMyEVveH7
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) February 9, 2026

With only seven minutes to play and a sizable 20pt lead in the fourth quarter, Coach Mosley decided to experiment with a lineup of his five best players, ball-handlers, scorers, playmakers, and most of his best defenders all on the court at the same time.

He subbed in Banchero at the five while flanking him with Orlando's best small-ball lineup option – The Magic Death Lineup

Jalen Suggs - Desmond Bane - Anthony Black - Franz Wagner - Paolo Banchero

Even if the lineup only saw the court for three and a half minutes, the results were about as expected: a fun loose style of play, versatile perimeter defense that lacks traditional big man things like rebounding and rim protection, with otherworldly spacing, driving lanes, and shot creation for all.

The Magic Death Lineup posted a quick +50 Net Rating in those nearly four minutes on the court together, a stat so small that shouldn't be taken seriously, but is a Hogwarts broadway show level of magical small-sample size theater.

While this lineup may falter against supersized opponents who beat them up inside or on the glass, the reverse can be just as true, as the collective shot creation gravity created by these five two-way team-first talents will be nearly impossible to stay in front of, run off the line, and completely contain without leaving someone open.

Think about the advantage creation, shot creation, scoring and defensive versatility of this lineup, playing Orlando's best five players overall at once, all of whom are perimeter players who can 1) initiate the offense on the ball, 2) pull-up from the three, 3) hit open catch-and-shoot threes, 4) drive downhill, finish, draw fouls, and create for others, 5) dribble, pass, shoot, score and beat mismatches in a variety of ways, 5) hold their own defensively and bring turnover-forcing instincts,

Three of these five players have shown to be All-Defensive caliber elite defenders and all five seem to have the offensive talent of All-Star level scoring creators on any given night.

After the game, I asked Coach Mosley about the spacing this lineup creates with Paolo Banchero at center surrounded by the team's best ball-handlers and shooters:

In the timeout, I thought about you, I was like - let me see if I can do exactly what he said pregame and make sure that we get Paolo at the five. (laughs)

But no, it was the right thing to do; they actually went small-ball, and we had been switching anyway.

So at the end of the day, his ability to go against a matchup, them over-helping, he gets the 3pt shot.

We have so many ball-handlers and multiple guys that can make plays – that’s the beauty of what we have with our team.
Jamahl Mosley

THE MAGIC DEATH LINEUP IS ALIVE https://t.co/j2rkLFQZ6Z pic.twitter.com/Jb4icLCwWY
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) February 10, 2026

Read More Orlando Magic News