Jamahl Mosley has made one thing clear as the Orlando Magic enter the final phase of the regular season: Rotations will look different.
Some of Orlando’s changes were expected with its guard room being the healthiest it’s been after the returns of R.J. Hampton and Markelle Fultz. But Mosley has made it a point since the All-Star break to try out different lineups.
“These last [17] games are about finding different combinations that work together,” Mosley said before the Magic’s 124-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night to complete a road back-to-back after beating the Toronto Raptors 103-97 Friday. “We want to make sure these guys understand ... different minutes and different opportunities for guys that haven’t played.”
One of the more significant changes: The Magic haven’t leaned on the Cole Anthony-Jalen Suggs-Gary Harris backcourt — a consistently used trio from mid-January through mid-February — as frequently since the All-Star break.
They played 4.6 minutes per game — often in the second and fourth quarters alongside Franz Wagner and either Wendell Carter Jr. or Mo Bamba — in 14 of 18 games (65 total minutes) between Suggs’ return from his fractured right thumb on Jan. 14 through the break. The Magic were outscored by 31.4 points per 100 possessions in the minutes Anthony, Suggs and Harris played together during that stretch.
The trio hasn’t played together in the five post-break games, with the Magic plugging Hampton into three-guard lineups more often.
Twenty-seven of Hampton’s 82 minutes (32.9%) before Saturday have been alongside Anthony and Harris or Suggs and Harris since he returned from a left medial collateral knee ligament sprain in the Magic’s win over the Rockets on Feb. 25.
Hampton played just 84 of his 815 minutes (10.3%) before the break with either backcourt duo. Those pre-break minutes were limited by Suggs (21 games), Anthony (14) and Harris (eight) being sidelined.
Almost 38% of Hampton’s playing time came alongside either duo during the mid-November stretch when the quartet was consistently available.
This rotation change has benefitted Orlando, albeit in a small sample. The Magic have outscored opponents by 16 points in the 27 minutes Hampton shared with Anthony and Harris or Suggs and Harris.
Hampton (four points, four rebounds and two assists) started alongside Anthony, Wagner, Bamba and Chuma Okeke Saturday in place of Suggs, who was out with a right ankle sprain.
“He’s come a long way,” Mosley said of Hampton. “The defensive tenacity we’re asking him to play with, he’s come out and down that.”
Wendell Carter Jr. missed his second consecutive game because of a non-COVID-19 illness. Moe Wagner had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes off the bench after missing the previous nine games with a left rib contusion. Cole Anthony led Orlando with 19 points, while Franz had 15 points (6 of 9), six assists and five rebounds.
The Grizzlies were led by Ja Morant, who had game-highs of 25 points (9 of 17) and seven assists.
Fultz mostly shared his 31 minutes entering Saturday with teammates he played with before his anterior cruciate knee ligament tear in January 2021: Okeke (31 minutes), Terrence Ross (25) and Bamba (12).
Fultz takes over Suggs’ previous role, leading the second unit to end the first quarter until midway through the second quarter with a familiar group.
Fultz averaged 10.5 points (76.9% shooting) and 4 assists in 15.5 minutes in the two games he played against the Indiana Pacers. He sat for the win over the Raptors because of left knee injury management. Fultz had six points (2 of 8), three assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes Saturday.
“They made it very easy on me to be able to go out there with guys who kind of knew my game a little bit,” Fultz said. “I just wanted to go out and do what I know I could do.”
The returns of Fultz and Hampton already have affected how minutes have been distributed in the backcourt and the impact likely will become more significant as Fultz gets more playing time.
Harris and Ross have played less since the All-Star break compared with January/February. Harris’ minutes went from 30.3 per game to 21.6 while Ross’ dropped from 22.2 to 17.
Ross did not play (coach’s decision) against the Raptors — the first time he was a healthy scratch. Harris was a healthy scratch Saturday.
“Terrence doesn’t get in the game because it gives another guy an opportunity,” Mosley said. “That’s one thing we’re going to continue to look at for the rest of these games: Different lineups, different rotations, certain guys will play, certain guys may not, but it’s a great way for our guys to learn and gain experiences.
“It’s finding of what it looks like from game to game. It’s a conversation game to game. These guys are willing and understand … they want their brothers to succeed, they want their brothers to get better. They’re very supportive in whichever way we go about it.”
