JD Shaw: The Magic have officially extended the contracts of president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond. Quotes from CEO Alex Martins and chairman Dan DeVos: pic.twitter.com/fKDwafe2hC
Jeff Weltman Rumors
The Orlando Magic have waived guard Jeff Dowtin, guard Hassani Gravett, guard-forward B.J. Johnson and forward Admiral Schofield, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Orlando’s roster now stands at 16 players (see below) Dowtin (6’3”, 185, 5/10/97) was originally signed by Orlando as a free agent on September 8. He played in three preseason games with the Magic, averaging 4.7 ppg. and 1.3 apg. in 8.7 minpg.
The Orlando Magic have signed guard Jalen Suggs and forward Franz Wagner, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deals are not disclosed. Suggs (fifth overall) and Wagner (eighth overall) were both selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. Suggs (6’4”, 205, 6/3/01) played and started in 30 games last season as a freshman at Gonzaga University, averaging 14.4 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 4.5 apg. and 1.90 stlpg. in 29.0 minpg., while shooting .503 (155-308) from the floor.
Orlando also has an advantage that no other franchise has. The Magic have access to artificial intelligence-powered body recognition technology that allows them to collect data about college players’ tendencies, strengths and weaknesses via game broadcasts. That technology, developed by the company Stats Perform, is called AutoStats. It takes a television broadcast of any college game and tracks the movements of players on the court and the location of the basketball.
All NBA teams are trying to eke out competitive advantages, and the Magic are no exception. The Magic have spent years trying to hone their analysis of player-tracking data, and they are reluctant to share any bit of information that possibly could help another team. “When Jeff came aboard, he made a very intentional effort to enhance our capabilities on the analytics front and hiring the best staff,” Bencs said. “Investing in research endeavors such as this has really allowed us to do very high-quality work. I do think that it has already given us advantages, but the way I’m looking at it, it’s just going to continue to grow this competitive advantage as we do more and more and really understand this data and how to utilize it. We’re getting smarter every day.”
Magic name Jamahl Mosley head coach
Jamahl Mosley has been named head coach of the Orlando Magic, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Mosley becomes the 15th head coach in franchise history. “We would like to welcome Jamahl and his family to the Magic family,” said Weltman. “Within the NBA coaching community, Jamahl is considered a rising star. His coaching path is rooted in player development. He is a communicator and connector, and we look forward to him leading our group.”
