POSTGAME SOUND: ORLANDO MAGIC VS. WASHINGTON WIZARDS | COACH MOSE & FRANZ WAGNER

POSTGAME SOUND: ORLANDO MAGIC VS. WASHINGTON WIZARDS | COACH MOSE & FRANZ WAGNER

Coach, how would you best describe that second quarter? Defense sat down guarded. Uh took away their strength. Uh we tried to ease our way into the game early. Uh and then once we decided that we wanted to turn up our defensive pressure, our level of focus, I thought we did a really good job there. You talked about defensive intensity the other night, Charlotte. To get two in a row now by your defense, what can that do for the team the rest of this trip and then moving forward? I’ll keep saying it. defense and our depth. Guys, each guy contributed tonight and the ability to sit down and guard and know that’s where we’re going to get our all of our stuff done on the defensive end of the floor. Guys stepped in, you know, holding them to 94 points, but our ability just to sit down and guard and take pride in that. You’ve talked so much about playing with pace. Is this sort of a good example of what you guys can be consistently? You know, I’ll I’ll I’m going to double down on it. Um the pace is our defense getting stops to get out and run. Like as we can continue to get stops, we get out and run. Half of that second and third quarter was our stops to get out and run. Uh it wasn’t just that we were trying to blow it up at break neck speed. We were trying to get out and stop get stops and then get out and convert on the other end offensively. Jamal, how is De Des Desmond’s adjustment offensively to a new team going? I think Dez, we just talked in the locker room there and like he’s just enjoying being around a group of guys uh that you know what they embrace him. Uh his leadership, his voice, his communication with these guys has just been absolutely fantastic. Um all all that he’s done for this group, you know, with that level of toughness and leadership just continues to shine every single game. And how is he doing in terms of f how is he doing in terms of finding his best shots? And how are his new teammates doing in terms of getting him the ball where he wants it? I I think what’s happening with with Desmond is that he carries so much weight for what he does shooting wise. He opens it up for so many other people on that floor. Um, and he’s such a selfless player that he’s trying to find guys because he knows exactly how guys are guarding them. In pin downs, they’re top locking and not letting them come off screens. and picking rolls. They’re jumping up to the level and if you see him come off, he’s always looking to make the right play and he does that which creates opportunities for others. The ball pressure of your guard, whether it be Jaylen or AB, just talk about the intensity they bring on an angular basis like tonight. Well, that’s what we’ve challenged them to do, uh, you know, for the remainder is just that they’ve got to get into the basketball. They set the tone for when we start the game off. They’ve got to get into the basketball, make their guards feel, the other team’s guards feel our pressure and our presence, you know, from the beginning of the game. Paulo and Fran are obviously dominant tonight. Just talk about their performance. They were very, very aggressive, very efficient tonight. Um, and I just think they can continue to just grow and they continue to get better and they continue to get their feel and get their legs underneath them as the season goes on. But that’s what, you know, we’ve asked them to do. The responsibility of not just scoring and putting guys in in the right position, but also, you know, taking care and the assist level, the attacking the basket, defensively, sitting down and guarding their their particular matchups. What do you see from France’s confidence level from three? I, you know, France continues to work. I think that’s just who he is. He’s a he’s a he’s a constant worker that just understands exactly what he needs to do for this team. How is uh Jaylen has a well- earned reputation for being as gritty as they come on at the point of attack on defense now that he’s continuing to knock off the rust from missing seven eight months. Where is he at in terms of his, you know, his defensive physicality? I think he’s still continuing to find it, you I mean, he turns up on plays, gets like you just talked about getting into the basketball, turning the guards over, uh, making them feel the his presence, you know. I mean, I think he he was working on u CJ McCullum to start the game and I think he did a very good job there. Thank you. Thank you all. Appreciate it. What What changed in that first half there were you guys were neck and neck and then all of a sudden your team had uh pulled away? Yeah, I thought we stepped up our defense. um were really physical. Um you know, kind of took them out of their stuff and um we’re able to capitalize in transition. You know, you guys don’t care about the scoring as much as you do the result, but what do you think is more important? The 125 points were holding Washington to 90. Well, like I just said, I think they’re obviously connected. Um you know, getting a lot of easy ones after after good stops. And um I think for our group, offense is more important. And I think um obviously the the way the season started, we we need to improve on defense as well, but I think longterm um I think that’s where we you know got the biggest room for improvement. And what makes what makes you conclude that? Uh I mean just seeing how we played the last couple years, you know what I mean? um obviously figuring out how we can best play together now adding some some pieces to it and um know everybody obviously coming coming better back from a good summer and um but I think just pretty obvious when you look at last year. This was the second game in you and Paulo’s careers where you both had 20 points in the same half. How easy was it for you out there in that second quarter especially and what did it just feel like having that type of flow? Yeah, it was super fun. Um, like I said, I think we played really fast in that in that second quarter and um know me and P got got a couple easy ones in transition and we’re able to get in the paint and make plays there and um know it starts on the defensive end for for us as a group, but obviously super fun when when you go on a run like that. You guys have talked so much about playing faster with more pace. Is this one of those examples where when you get stops and force turnovers, you guys can pretty much control the tempo here? Yeah, for sure. Obviously, it’s not going to be every night like that and um still finding ways to to have a good pace to to the game, but I thought it was really good today. Fron, when Jaylen Suggs is at his best defensively, what does that how does that change the what the who the Magic are and can be? Yeah, I think uh no, he’s an X- factor for us. I think just another way he he pressures the ball. Uh I think he makes a lot of really impressive plays off the ball which is kind of unusual for a guard and um I think sets the tone. U obviously we see all four that are kind of closer to basket see um know when he when he starts the possession um with pressure like that and maybe sets the tone for the whole team. When was the last time you’ve seen a guard who’s able to fight over a screen as well as he can do? Yeah, she’s I think he’s one of the best in the league at it. And um like I said, I think there there’s a couple guys in the league that you know, put a lot of pressure on the ball and um know can turn guys a couple times in the possession, but I think he makes a lot of plays off the ball that a lot of the other guards don’t do. How how uh up to at this stage of the season, a week and a half in, do you feel like you’re you still have an advantage because you played critical games, high pressure games in Euro basket? In other words, are you ahead of what your own ramp up usually would be at this stage? I mean, I don’t know. I played every summer so far. So, um I mean I feel good mentally, physically, and um I think for me it’s just important to sustain it. And um also obviously want to get better as the season goes on, not just for me, but for the whole team. So um just taking it one day at a time, like I said, super early in the season. And um yeah, just trying to learn from from every game. Thank

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