By hiring Sean Sweeney, the Orlando Magic are banking on the success of a first-time head coach once again.

When they hired Jamahl Mosley in 2021, he had also never held a head coaching role, and Sweeney arrived in Orlando in the same position. Additionally, both have spent time in the Dallas Mavericks organization as assistants. 

However, the key difference between the two is that Sweeney has been to the NBA Finals, and he has done it twice in the last three years.

Granted, Sweeney obviously achieved those heights as an assistant, but with the San Antonio Spurs last season, he was the associate head coach on Mitch Johnson’s staff, so his responsibilities and impact were integral. That kind of experience cannot be frowned upon, and I talked about how it will help the Magic’s core group of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, as well as the team in general on the Full Court Magic podcast.

"Like this core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs, We're talking about four guys that are not yet in or have just now reached their prime, right? This is a very young nucleus and a group that is largely unproven. They've shown that they have what it takes to make it to the postseason, right? And twice in the last three years, this group, with the exception of Desmond Bane, obviously last season was his first one with the team, but, you know, twice in the last three years, for the most part, this group has gone to two game sevens in the first round, but just did not have the experience or the veteran presence, right, to take that next step. And these experiences matter, right? So now, yes, Sean Sweeney is a rookie head coach.

You're getting kind of a similar type of deal that you did with Jamahl Mosley, but Sweeney's been there and done it, right? And that's not to say that Mosley didn't. Mosley had been a longtime assistant, too, and, you know, worked his way into that role and was very deserving. But, you know, twice in the last three years, Sweeney has been on a coaching staff of a team in the NBA Finals, once with the Dallas Mavericks, 2024, and now with the San Antonio Spurs in 2026.

Obviously, both of his teams lost, but he was integral in the development and coaching of Luka Doncic, of Victor Wembanyama, to help make them the best players on their team, a championship-level team, right? And so now he's bringing that level of acumen, that level of his own experience, to combine with the experience of Paolo, Franz, Desmond and Jalen."

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