Well, a new era is officially underway in Orlando. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Orlando Magic have hired former Dallas Mavericks’ Assistant Jamahl Mosley as their next head coach. After working under longtime coach Rick Carlisle for seven seasons, Mosley will have his first chance to lead his own team. After Orlando narrowed their head coaching options down to Mosley and Nuggets’ assistant Wes Unseld Jr., it was Mosley’s reputation in player development that sat well with Orlando’s front office. The best example of Mosley turning raw talent into a superstar is Luka Doncic. While working with Doncic, Mosley has helped the superstar earn two All-NBA First Team honors in those three seasons. Not surprisingly, Doncic believes that Mosley can become a head coach after seeing him lead Dallas to a win over New York:
“He’s got the things that are needed for a head coach,” Doncic said. “He can be the head coach, for sure.”
It certainly seems like Orlando believes this, too, especially with the proven coaches still on the market. Coaches with experience in rebuilding teams such as Terry Stotts, Kenny Atkinson, and Scott Brooks were all on the market at some point, but Orlando is taking a chance with Mosley. This is the exact type of risk Orlando needs to take in order to return to the playoffs. We may not know whether or not Mosley can lead a rebuild in Orlando, but only time will tell.
Jamahl Mosley’s Career Playing and Coaching Experience
Like many other recent coaching hires, Mosley is a former NBA player converting to calling the plays, rather than carrying them out. Mosley’s playing career began at the University of Colorado, where he played for all four seasons (1997-2001). Mosley would go undrafted in the 2001 NBA Draft but later joined the Victoria Titans of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). After earning the NBL’s best sixth-man award in 2002, Mosley played three professional seasons overseas in Finland and South Korea. Mosley’s coaching start began as a player development coach in Denver. Two seasons later, Mosley was promoted to an assistant coach. Following his four years as an assistant coach in Cleveland, Mosley joined Dallas as an assistant in 2014, staying with them for the next seven seasons.
What Jamahl Mosley Has to Work With in Orlando
In short, Mosley won’t have any shortage of young talent while coaching the Magic. To begin, Orlando will have Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac return from their ACL tears after signing major extensions last offseason. The Magic also have former first-round picks Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton in the backcourt, and Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba in the frontcourt. If they decide to not trade down, the Magic will also add two more first-round lottery picks to the roster. Finally, Orlando has the opportunity to make a significant splash in Free Agency. If Orlando lets some players walk, they’ll have a maximum of $30 million to spend. The 2021 Free Agency isn’t filled with superstar-level talent, but there are difference makers Orlando could use in their rotation. So with all of their young talent, Orlando’s rotation will play right into Mosley’s key player development.