How Sean Sweeney's Relationship Building Will be Crucial for Magic

The Orlando Magic's biggest offseason move came long before the free agency cycle began.

On June 1, Orlando officially named Sean Sweeney to be its next head coach after firing coach Jamahl Mosley in early May following the Magic’s collapse against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Mosley’s firing put an end to a tenure in Orlando that lasted five seasons. Because of that, most of Orlando’s core group of players will be playing for a new head coach for the first time in their NBA careers.

Except for Desmond Bane, the Magic’s best players have to get acclimated to new leadership. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs were all drafted when Mosley was already in-house. Now, Sweeney is at the helm.

For Sweeney, it will also be an adjustment. Like Mosley, Sweeney comes to Orlando as a rookie head coach, and he will have to build rapport with his new group of players. 

For Sweeney, that process began immediately. At his introductory press conference on June 18, he talked about the process of getting to know his new players.

For Sweeney, communication must be reciprocal for it to be proper. In talking with his new players, he wanted to make sure their thoughts were being heard. Sweeney is new to the team, where franchise pillars like Banchero, Wagner and Suggs have been in the building for years.

The feedback Sweeney gets from the group is just as important as what he puts into them. As a coach, he wants to convey what must be done to be successful, but he acknowledged that his communication style is direct. Therefore, he wants to listen to his players before saying something himself.

Those traits will play in Sweeney’s favor. He has proven to be a gifted assistant coach, but this role is placing him in new territory, and it will be far from perfect. That is also why building strong relationships with the players on the roster now is so important, because when adversity hits, the bond will be there to endure it.

The good news for Sweeney and the Magic is that he is inheriting a team that is hungry. As an assistant coach, Sweeney has been to the NBA Finals in two of the last three seasons, which demonstrates his experience in deep postseason runs.

Meanwhile, the Magic have been stuck in place after falling in the first round in three-straight seasons. Therefore, Sweeney’s experience and the team’s hunger should make for a good match.