ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic have hired Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley as their hew head coach. Mosely will be introduced to the media Monday afternoon in Orlando.
Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement that he’s looking forward to what lies ahead with Mosley.
“We would like to welcome Jamahl and his family to the Magic family,” said Weltman. “Within the NBA coaching community, Jamahl is considered a rising star. His coaching path is rooted in player development. He is a communicator and connector, and we look forward to him leading our group.”
Mosley, the former top assistant coach to Rick Carlisle in Dallas, was thought to be a candidate to replace Carlisle, who resigned June 17, and was quickly hired by the Indiana Pacers. Mosley was skipped over in the Mavericks coaching search when the team opted to go with former Dallas star Jason Kidd.
The hiring of Mosley makes him the 15th head coach in the 32 seasons of the Orlando Magic franchise and replaces Steve Clifford, who mutually parted ways with the team on June 5.
Mosley played at the University of Colorado (1997-2001), where he scored 1,171 career points. He had a couple of stints playing overseas but did not play in the NBA. He also coached with the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Mavs in 2014.
The Magic’s expediency in replacing Clifford will give them a chance to allow Mosely a say in their selections for the July 29 NBA Draft. The Magic have an opportunity to start off their rebuilding phase by making a big splash in the draft with two picks in the Top 10 at No. 5 and No. 8. They also have selection No. 33 of the 60-pick draft.
Interestingly, Mosley coached at Dallas with fellow assistant Darrell Armstrong, the longtime Magic fan favorite who played nine seasons (1994-2003) for Orlando and was the main reason the Magic were known as Heart and Hustle during his time.
Mosley will be putting together his own staff and it’s possible that Armstrong could join him.
Mosley takes charge of the Magic’s rebuilding phase that began at this past season’s trading deadline when the team traded off veterans Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. The youth movement will be built around young-but-experienced 23-year-olds Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, both of whom are coming off torn ACL injuries.
Fultz, the Magic point guard the past two seasons, was injured in early January, and Isaac, a 6-foot-10 athletic forward was injured during a playoff game last season in the Disney bubble. The status for each player for the upcoming season remains to be seen and the Magic have a history of making sure they do not rush players back from injuries.
Another key component and the Magic’s only true offensive scoring threat will be veteran shooter Terrence Ross, who had a terrific season for the Magic during 2018-19 when he made more than 200 3-pointers coming off the bench as the sixth man.
Also part of the Magic’s youth movement will be a trio of 22-year-olds in forward Chuma Okeke and centers Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba. Point guards Cole Anthony (21) and R.J. Hampton (20) will also likely play key roles, but how those two will be used remains unclear. The status of all five players will be dictated by what the Magic are able to accomplish in the draft.
