Why Orlando Magic Brings 'Excitement' Into Season

"It is actually great to see these guys mature and see their level of excitement, their level of camaraderie that you've just seen grow over time," Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 7, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is entering the third season in the Jamahl Mosley era and the team looks far different than how it was when he first arrived in 2021.

The team's core has some run under them now and has taken strides together towards becoming a consistently good NBA team.

"It is actually great to see these guys mature and see their level of excitement, their level of camaraderie that you've just seen grow over time," Mosley said. "I think that's what I am most excited about other than getting on the practice court all together healthy. I think it's just being able to see this group's excitement and joy for one another."

Orlando Magic forwards Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero / USA Today

By playing as many games as they have together, the team has grown up in the league and gone through many struggles, trials and tribulations as a group. Orlando is hoping that the maturity this group is developing can help the team navigate the season and qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

A big part of the team's drop in the standings over the past few years apart from developed talent has been health. The Magic started 5-20 last season, but once Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz returned to the court after missing the first quarter of the year, Orlando finished 29-28 the rest of the way.

If the Magic can parlay that late-season success into this year, it can be the key that gets Orlando back in the postseason picture.

Published Oct 7, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.