The Orlando Magic have fallen short of expectations this season, playing roughly .500 basketball since their 10-4 stretch in November and entering Sunday’s matchup with the Pelicans just a half-game ahead of the 10th-seed Heat.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel suggests the team could end up making head coach Jamahl Mosley the scapegoat for those struggles, calling it a common but misguided move often seen around the NBA.
Bianchi points to injuries to key players like Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black as major factors that disrupted Orlando’s ability to build consistency.
At the same time, he highlights issues with effort and toughness in key moments, including losses to teams like the Raptors and Hawks during critical stretches of the playoff race.
He concludes that if the Magic decide to part ways with Mosley, it won’t be because he’s a bad coach, but rather as a way to shift blame for a team that hasn’t met expectations and has lacked intensity when it mattered most.
Southeast Notes: Mosley, George, Jovic, Hawks pic.twitter.com/hlH5gXogpq
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) April 5, 2026