Magic coach Jamahl Mosley experiments with different lineup combinations
For an NBA head coach, a big part of figuring out lineups is recognizing what combinations of players work best together. That task can prove even more difficult for a new coach such as the Orlando Magic’s Jamahl Mosley.
Mosley, who was hired by the Magic on July 12 to replace Steve Clifford, essentially will have 23 days of training camp, including four preseason games, to figure out what works best for his team, which opens the regular season Oct. 20 at San Antonio.
As the Magic look ahead to their final two preseason games — both at home, Sunday against San Antonio and Wednesday against Boston — Mosley will be experimenting with different combinations. Those scenarios will continue to be considered even into the initial stage of the season, but by then Mosley is hoping he’ll have a pretty solid grasp of which players benefit most being on the floor at the same time.
The Magic scrimmaged briefly during Friday’s practice to help the coaches get a feel for some of those combinations.
“That’s why we played a little bit today: to see what that will look like in the next two preseason games,” Mosley said. “It’ll tighten up a little bit, but again, it’s still gonna be about the feel and the chemistry because there’s going to be multiple times when we’re going to put different combinations out there.
“So they’ve got to be able to understand who they’re playing with at the time they’re playing ... what you’re doing in that position at that time in the game.”
Seeing those different combinations in a live game setting will go even further in the coach’s assessment.
“We’ll do a little bit more of that in the Boston game and the San Antonio game. ... It’ll [eventually] work it’s way into a clean rotation,” Mosley said. “They’re still all getting to learn each other, know each other and what combinations work.
“We’ll to continue play it as the practices go on, as we see lineups during the games ... who works well together, how many minutes are too long for guys, certain things like that. We’ll be looking at all of those things.”
Communication will also be key as the Magic players, many of whom have not had a lot of playing time together, try to get acclimated.
“The communication level, and not just on the floor with the coverages, but overall, holding each other accountable — that’s going to be very big,” Mosley said.
Mosley and his staff continue to evaluate different aspects and are still looking to implement a few more elements before the regular season.
“We’ve gotten better every single day. We’ve worked at looking at film and there are obviously still things we need to put in offensively, defensively,” Mosley said. “For the most part ... we’re on a pretty good track for laying a foundation for where we need to be.”
Magic sign rookie center Jeremiah Tilmon
The Magic have signed Jeremiah Tilmon, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound undrafted rookie center out of Missouri. In 24 games (23 starts) last season as a senior for the Tigers, he averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as well as 1.42 blocks. He shot .61% from the floor. He was named to the 2020-21 All-SEC second team. Recently, Tilmon played in one game with Orlando during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, recording three points, three rebounds and one assist in 5:48 of action.
Also, the Magic have waived center Jon Teske, who played in two preseason games, averaging 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game.
Bally Sports will broadcast all Magic games
All Magic games for the rest of the season will be televised by Bally Sports Florida, the network home of the Orlando Magic. Bally had a conflict with the Magic’s first two preseason games, but the rest of the Magic’s schedule will be available to viewers as they were previously accustomed.
