Orlando Magic: 3 players who will benefit from new head coach

The Orlando Magic recently hired Jamahl Mosley as their new head coach, and until the games actually start again next season it is hard not to feel optimistic about what he can bring to a rebuilding organization. The kind that only a first-time head coach who says all of the right things can bring.

Mosley is a coach who has plenty of experience with superstars like Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic while an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks, although there is no doubt that hiring him still represents a calculated gamble. Crucially though, it also gives every player on the roster a blank slate with which to start over.

The Orlando Magic have a new head coach in Jamahl Mosley, and this change at the top could be extremely beneficial to three players in particular.

In the case of some players, such as the pair of incoming top 10 picks in this month’s NBA Draft, that doesn’t matter. Those guys won’t have any perceptions about them as a result of what they’ve already shown in a Magic jersey. They are in a good position and will be given every chance to succeed.

For other players though, this change may not necessarily be a good thing. Michael Carter-Williams for example was a firm favorite of departed head coach Steve Clifford, and there is no doubt he got the best out of a player that has struggled at other stops in his career.

The other side of the coin is far more promising, however, and there are a number of individuals for whom this change in coach couldn’t have come quick enough. The following three players could all stand to benefit in a big way, but each in vastly different ways as the Magic look to build an exciting core for the figure.

Orlando Magic players that will benefit: 3. Terrence Ross

A strange place to start for sure, but it makes sense if you really think about it. At this point, Terrence Ross is among the longest-tenured players on the roster. He is a veteran swingman who, if these playoffs have been anything to go by, absolutely has some trade value as a player who can be moved on in favor of a younger guy.

He also deserves to play for a more competitive team, and the introduction of Mosley could speed up that process. Coach Clifford was a big fan of using Ross as a sixth man, where he really does excel, but also from time to time in the starting lineup. Those results weren’t as explosive offensively, but it is clear Ross is a player who can be trusted.

He is a career 36.7 percent 3-point shooter, who does most of his work off the ball. His ability to create his own shot is underrated, while he has a good feeling for when to get others going and when he needs to have a strong scoring quarter himself. Like a more composed, and less flashy, version of what Lou Williams gave the Atlanta Hawks in these playoffs.

Even after the Magic went young, it felt like Clifford wanted to have Ross around as a veteran role model for the younger players to look up to. He seems an ideal candidate for this position, although whether he wants it or not is another matter. Mosley may end up wanting the same from Ross, who is under contract until 2023.

But every coach has their own way of doing things, and you have to think Mosley will be tasked with giving the young guys as much run to prove themselves as possible. It is hard to know where Ross figures in that, so moving him to a better situation to win because Mosley has been tasked with growing the team and not winning right now, like coach Clifford was, would make sense for everybody.

Orlando Magic players that will benefit: 2. Cole Anthony

If you are point guard Cole Anthony, you’ve got to be feeling pretty good right about now. His rookie year went extremely well, with the exception of a strange rib injury that derailed him somewhat, and by season’s end, he had established himself as one of the emotional leaders and tone-setters of the group.

You would think the introduction of a new coach would threaten all of that, but the reality is that they may actually lean harder into Anthony next season. There is no doubt that the front office still loves Markelle Fultz, who they stole from the Philadelphia 76ers back in 2019. He is currently rehabbing a torn ACL but was their second-best player in a playoff series a year ago.

Coach Clifford also clearly loved Fultz as well, and with good reason. The way he plays at a measured pace, getting into the paint with ease and defending well, are qualities Clifford was always going to be drawn to. His decision-making and taking care of the ball were getting even better before he went down as well.

But Anthony has a head start in impressing his new head coach, and his personality and way of playing are infectious. If ever there was a moment to steal the starting spot in the backcourt from Fultz, it is in the period before he comes back from injury. About the only roadblock at this point is R.J. Hampton, who is in a similar position himself.

The NBA is cruel and filled with fleeting chances, and Anthony has one right here. It will be no surprise when he starts opening night, sets the tone and takes more shots than he has in a game before. After that, it will be up to Anthony to do the right things with this opportunity to stick as the guard of the future in Orlando.

He will also likely have an incoming offensive-minded rookie who is looking to impress to work with as well. Something Fultz never had as he was embedded with the departed veterans before everything changed. A sea change is coming to this roster, and it gives Anthony an advantage at this moment in time.

Orlando Magic players that will benefit: 1. Mohamed Bamba

The clear answer to this question, and isn’t even close. If ever there was a player who needed a coaching shakeup to show what he is capable of, it is center Mohamed Bamba. We got glimpsed last season after Nikola Vucevic was traded to the Chicago Bulls.

Unfortunately for Bamba, another young center came back in that deal as well. Wendell Carter Jr. landed in Orlando and had a bigger impact after the trade was made than Bamba did. Crucially, however, Bamba also finally showed some consistency and promise, playing some of the best basketball of his still-young career.

Admittedly the bar wasn’t very high, but it was great to see nonetheless. Bamba is entering his third season, and at this stage last year it looked like he’d come along that bit too late for the Magic. Clifford wanted to win, he had the players to make a postseason push and the development of Bamba did not figure in the immediacy for the organization.

It always felt like Clifford just couldn’t trust Bamba on the court either, yanking him before he could ever build up a head of steam. But coach Mosley is going to give Bamba a chance, especially after showing he was not a lost cause once Vucevic was gone. The fact the two are already working together as well is hugely encouraging.

Carter Jr. complicates things and may ultimately win the battle between the two. He’s off to a nice start and fans were quick to get behind him last year as well. If the Magic draft another center in the lottery then the mountain gets even tougher to navigate for Bamba. But while the writing was very clearly on the wall for Bamba under Clifford, the introduction of Mosley represents a fresh coaching staff to try and impress.

The fact he is already in the gym as well means he is taking this offseason seriously to try and improve in a number of areas. DeAndre Ayton, taken first overall in the same draft as Bamba, has created a roadmap for more traditional bigs in the playoffs this year. Bamba would do well to follow it.