How a 'More Physical' NBA Could Allow Magic to Lean Into Strengths

Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said during a radio interview that the NBA is going to be "much more physical this year." Can that play in the Orlando Magic's favor? Jamahl Mosley thinks it could – if done so correctly.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) defends Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second quarter of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

ORLANDO –– Earlier this week, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle shared some insight on a potentially significant shift in the way NBA games are played this season.

"It's going to be much more physical this year," Carlisle said during his usual radio interview with Indianapolis-based station 1075 the Fan. "Games are going to look a lot more like FIBA than the old, freedom-of-movement NBA."

Carlisle said NBA head coaches were told that's how it would be. The league showed video references and, as the Pacer coach stated, "were very matter of fact about it."

"The reasons, I can give you some obvious reasons. Too many teams were just marching to the free throw line . . . games were getting long and arduous," Carlisle said. "People want to see more continuous action."

The ramifications will possibly force some teams to transform their style of play. Other teams may be able to lean further into an already successful formula.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, asked about it Friday, detailed why his team could benefit.

"I think we have to play to our strengths," Mosley said following the Magic's fourth practice of training camp. "We have a physical team, we have a strong team. We use our length, our athleticism. We use our basketball IQ to understand when and where and how we can be aggressive."

Pacer coach Rick Carlisle said on @WakeUpCall_1075 this week the NBA will be “much more physical this year.” (h/t @C2_Cooper)

Asked Jamahl Mosley on how that could benefit the #Magic:

“… it’s going to play to our advantage in some ways, but we have to be smart in the way in… pic.twitter.com/mW4X2kFhy4

— Mason Williams (@mvsonwilliams) October 4, 2024

The Magic had the league's third-best defensive rating a season ago and allowed the third-fewest points per 100 plays in the halfcourt, per Cleaning the Glass. Orlando finished the regular season with a 73.7 defensive rebound percentage and forced opponent turnovers on 15.4% of possessions – second in the league in each measure.

One glance around the practice courts inside the AdventHealth Training Center helps to understand why the Magic are so suffocating defensively. Of the Magic's 15 rostered players entering the 2024-25 season, 12 of them are 6-foot-5 or taller. Orlando can play passing lanes, defend the paint, rebound, and reach for steals differently than other teams can, purely because other teams can't match the versatility and positional size the Magic can run with at nearly all times.

That starts with the Magic backcourt, Mosley said, which serves as the front line of defense. Mosley rattled off Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black as defenders who can guard with physicality but, more importantly, know when and where to do it. In a more physical setting, they could thrive.

"It's going to play to our advantage in some ways," Mosley continued, "but we just gotta be smart in the way in which we do it."

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) shoots the ball against Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the first quarter of game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

There will be ways the Magic can benefit from more lenient officiating. Orlando struggled last season to defend without fouling, and the Magic had the seventh-highest opponent free throw attempt rate in the league.

There also are byproducts of the Magic's physicality on offense: They led the NBA with 24.4 free-throw attempts per game and also led the league in frequency of shots taken at the rim — nearly six percentage points above the league average (38.5% to 32.8%). According to Cleaning the Glass, Orlando attempted 2,328 field goals and drew an additional 504 fouls on shots attempted at the rim.

It's well-documented that Orlando's offense again finished in the bottom third of the NBA last season, the 12th year running. For the Magic, the security blanket was to get to either the rim or the line as often as possible. As a group, they were just mid-pack in FG% at the rim (67.4%, 14th in the NBA).

Thus, if fewer fouls are called around the rim and more physicality is allowed, Orlando will need to convert more of its opportunities at the rim to be better offensively.

But because of the Magic front office's offseason efforts to improve the spacing on the offensive end — see Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — it figures that the Magic will shoot more from the outside.

Overall, a more physical NBA could play to the Magic's advantage. But, there should be intrigue about how Mosley's team might make the most of the league's supposed philosophy change – and how other teams respond to it.

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