Jamal Mosley makes ‘promise’ after shooting 14.7% of 3-pointers

Orlando Magic head coach Jamal Mosley promised resilience and hard work after his team’s recent struggles continued. Lost 102-86 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. on Monday. Without a star forward Paolo Banchero is sidelined with a torn right oblique muscle.The Magic once again failed to find an offensive rhythm, shooting a dismal 14.7 percent from beyond the arc while making just five of 34 attempts.

The Magic’s three-point fight has emphasized the rough stretch in which the team lost three games in a row while averaging just 93.3 points per game. During this period, their shooting percentages dropped significantly: just 38.1% from the field and 22.2% from three-point range. The Magic currently rank 27th in the league in scoring, averaging 105.1 points per game and posting a 30.4% three-point shooting percentage, just above the #1 ranked San Antonio Spurs. last place.

In his postgame comments, Mosley addressed the team’s continued shooting slump.

“We will not stop working. I can promise you that this group works. They come together, they reach out to each other,” Mosley said. “We’re not going to stop working on these things just because the outcome isn’t what we want at the moment. There’s a process to everything we do and they’ll continue to stick to that process and trust the way we played tonight.”

Jamal Mosley praises Gogi Bitadze’s influence in Magic’s loss to Thunder

Mosley’s commitment to the team’s process and belief in its work ethic reflects his confidence in the potential of the Magic’s young roster, despite their early setbacks. Mosley also commented on the performance of center Gogi Bitadze, who returned to the starting lineup after missing four games with a sprained left foot. Bitadze provided much-needed presence in the paint with 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists, along with a steal and a block on five-of-eight shooting.

“He was fantastic,” Mosley said. “His ability to not play as many plays to give us a presence at the rim on defense, in the pick-and-roll he was great. I thought he did a good job of understanding when they changed positions and how he could punish the change of striker. I think he’s done a lot of great things and he’s very valuable to what we do.”

Goga Bitadze, however, was modest in his speechesnoting that he felt somewhat out of rhythm after being on the sidelines.

“I’m a little out of rhythm,” admitted Bitadze. “I didn’t do much last week because my leg hurt. It was basically the first thing I did and it felt a little rough. But it didn’t look like anything serious. We have a great look, great open threes – that’s what we want. The ball didn’t go in and we just have to move on, keep playing defense, keep doing what we have to do. It will come, and it’s a long season.”

Bitadze is confident in the team’s shooting potential, and Franz Wagner strengthens the attack

The 25-year-old center also shared optimism about the team’s shooting woes, emphasizing confidence in his teammates’ abilities.

“We have a lot of great shooters on our team,” he said. “Look at our lineup, our guys score more than 40% from three. It will come. You have to stay with it. Every team has those little slumps where they can’t make shots, but we keep our defensive mindset consistent. Everyone knows we’re working hard and it’s definitely going to happen.”

Franz Wagner, meanwhile, powered the Magic’s scoring, scoring 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Wagner, recovering from an illness earlier in the week, continued his aggressive approach by driving to the basket and making contact. Mosley praised Wagner’s toughness, although Wagner also recorded five turnovers, reflecting the team’s ongoing struggle for consistency.

“I think he’s gotten over it,” Mosley commented on Wagner’s recent health issues. “His ability to attack the basket the right way, get down the hill, make contact and still keep the play going shows what he’s capable of.”

As the Magic (3-5) prepare for the final game of a tough five-game road trip, they will face the Indiana Pacers (3-4) on Wednesday. With key players like Banchero and Carter missing, Orlando is hoping to end the road trip on a positive note, hoping that the punches will eventually start to fall and that Mosley’s promise to continue to work hard will soon bear fruit.