The Orlando Magic have mostly operated in anonymity during their rebuild. Even with the number one pick in Paolo Banchero, it feels like everyone has been late to the train on the Magic.<\/p>\n
Yes, Orlando has gotten respect as a potential playoff team. Making the playoffs the last two years has afforded the Magic at least that much recognition around the league.<\/p>\n
So too has having one of the best defenses in the league.<\/p>\n
Talk about the Magic usually centers on three talking points: That the Magic have two of the best young players in the league. Their defense is legit if only their offense could catch up<\/a>.<\/p>\n And finally, Jamahl Mosley is a coach worth paying attention. He coaches his players up and has them buying in to a culture that has built the team from 25 wins to a potential contender this year.<\/p>\n This season seems like the culmination and breakthrough fro him as a young coach into full recognition around the league.<\/p>\n The national media has long been trumpeting Mosley as a coach to watch, complimenting for the job he has done building the Magic. It seems only a matter of time Mosley gets full recognition for it.<\/p>\n And if the Magic are the team that everyone seems to think they will be, Mosley will get a lot of credit for it.<\/p>\n That is what the early betting and predicting lines are saying. Mosley is the favorite to win the NBA Coach of the Year with ESPN’s Summer Forecast projecting Mosley to win the coveted award<\/a>. FanDuel SportsBook has Mosley as the favorite<\/a> at +460 (23\/5).<\/p>\n That only hints at the expectations heaped on Mosley and the Magic now.<\/p>\n “Mosley has a roster built to make a run at winning the injury-weakened East, and our panel is betting Mosley will captain a significant leap forward and take home Coach of the Year honors,” Ohm Youngmisuk wrote for ESPN. “Orlando is poised to win more than 50 games for the first time since 2010-11 with the additions of Desmond Bane’s much-needed scoring and outside shooting, and Tyus Jones’ steady point guard play to complement Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.”<\/p>\n It is a good sign to see the Magic thought of as a preseason favorite in these categories. ESPN’s summer forecast also sees the Magic winning 50 games and finishing third in the Eastern Conference.<\/a> Success breeds recognition.<\/p>\n And the Magic are due for some success this season.<\/p>\n How Mosley wins the award<\/p>\n The easy answer to the question of Jamahl Mosley winning coach of the year is that the Orlando Magic meet or exceed their outsized expectations.<\/p>\n That is essentially how Mosley finished second in Coach of the Year voting in the 2024 season, when he led the Magic to a surprising 5-seed in that breakthrough season. Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault won the award for a similar breakthrough into contention.<\/p>\n The challenge for Mosley this year is to see if he can build the team’s offense into a more competitive outfit.<\/p>\n The Magic have struggled offensively long before Mosley arrived. However, the key to the Magic’s sudden emergence as contenders remains improving their offense.<\/p>\n Mosley has long been known for building an elite defense. The Magic will lean on that most of all. But they need to get more creative offensively with two potential All-Stars anchoring the team<\/a>.<\/p>\n Adding Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones should improve the Magic’s shooting and offensive abilities. Getting Jalen Suggs back gives the Magic another shooter<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n All those pieces need to be tied together. If the Magic improve from a bottom-10 offense to the middle of the pack, they could easily take a major leap up the standings.<\/p>\n That is what everyone is expecting at least. And doing that and meeting those expectations is how Mosley earns recognition in this way.<\/p>\n Clearly everyone is expecting Mosley and the Magic to step up to the plate.<\/p>\n Pressure is a privilege<\/p>\n Jamahl Mosley is certainly under a fair amount of pressure<\/a> entering this season to meet those expectations.<\/p>\n For the first time since Dwight Howard was roaming the court in 2012, the Orlando Magic are expected to win a Playoff series, win 50 games and compete for a championship. The Magic are not hiding from those ambitions<\/a>. They have plainly stated that winning a championship is their goal.<\/p>\n Orlando certainly pushed the chips into the middle of the table with how much they paid for Desmond Bane<\/a> and how much they will pay to keep this roster together<\/a>. The team wants to see results. <\/p>\n And with so many changes on the roster, if the Magic do not take those steps forward, the blame will inevitably fall on the coach.<\/p>\n That is something Mosley has invited. He knows that comes with the business.<\/p>\n Throughout the offseason, Mosley has emphasized that “pressure is a privilege.” The team has made big pronouncements and made significant investments because they believe in what this team can accomplish.<\/p>\n As much as that pressure falls on the players, it falls on the coach just as much. And a lot of eyes will be on Mosley to deliver the team and meet these expectations.<\/p>\n If he is not able to make the most of this talent, the Magic will have to consider how to improve their team. And that will include looking at their coach and whether Mosley was simply good for the rebuild stage and not for taking them to the championship stage.<\/p>\n There is a lot on his plate.<\/p>\n But there are a lot of people around the league who believe he can take that next step. There are increasingly a lot of people around the league who believe the Magic can take the next step as a team.<\/p>\n Whether they do or not seemingly will fall on their coach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Orlando Magic have mostly operated in anonymity during their rebuild. 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