Magic Lacking Defensive 'Pressure', Says Coach Jamahl Mosley

The Orlando Magic has been one of the better defenses in the league throughout the season. However, it has fallen off a cliff in recent games.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 17, 2023

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Coming into the month of March, the Orlando Magic became one of the league's best defenses. However, they have been anything but since the calendar turned.

The Magic is 2-6 in March, a mark that has all but knocked the team out of the play-in tournament. The reason behind that? Allowing 116 points or more in every loss, including Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns.

Head coach Jamahl Mosley explained his reasoning for why he believes the Magic has struggled on the defensive end.

"I think it all starts with our ball pressure," Mosley said. "When we were at a very good clip, we were getting into the basketball. We were dictating what teams were doing vs. letting them be comfortable in their sets, getting back to picking up full court, pressure on the ball in the pick and roll, being more consistent with how aggressive we are early on."

And the numbers back up what Mosley is saying. According to Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic was 7th in the league in defensive rating from February until December, but the team now ranks dead last in the last eight games.

The sudden drop in defensive rating does coincide with Jonathan Isaac's adductor injury that has forced him to undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, but he played in just 11.3 minutes per game in 11 appearances. Isaac's loss is definitely a contributor to the team's poor defense, but it isn't the entire issue. As a whole, the team has struggled defensively, and it's likely going to be why the postseason won't be in the cards for Orlando this year.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click Here.

Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.

Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.

Want even more Orlando Magic news? Check out the SI.com team page here.

Published Mar 17, 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.