Magic Mentorship: Jamahl Mosley’s Biggest Coaching Influence

The biggest lesson Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley learned early in his career.

ORLANDO - As Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley enters his third season as the team’s head coach, he reflects on the lessons he learned from former NBA coach George Karl early in his career.

"He really invested in the players," Mosley said on the HoopsHype Podcast. "That’s what I think I took the most from him. It was always about investing in the guys. How do you get them better and help them reach their potential for whatever they’re trying to do and become great?"

While on Karl’s staff, he would see the investments pay off as the team would become a 50-plus win team in his final three seasons, proving that strong relationships between players and coaches are crucial to success.

Now, with the Magic, Mosley is attempting to develop the players and culture so that Orlando can experience the type of success his mentor instrumented all those years ago in Denver.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and coach Jamahl Mosley / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

In Mosley’s first season coaching the team, they struggled to get 22 wins. Last year, the team elevated itself to a 34-win team that regularly competed with high-caliber opposition and beat teams such as the Boston Celtics multiple times.

Approaching his third season coaching the Magic, the expectations are higher than ever for him and his young roster to continue taking strides toward contention.

With reigning Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero and the FIBA Basketball World Cup Championship game MVP Franz Wagner on the roster, the future in Orlando looks brighter than ever thanks to the investments Mosley has made early on in his head coaching career at developing his young core.

After adding talented first-round guards Anthony Black and Jett Howard to the roster, the Magic are looking to make the playoffs this season, and with Mosley at the helm, the team should continue to grow.