The Orlando Magic will benefit from having incoming coach Sean Sweeney and his staff, but some familiarity will also be good.
The Orlando Magic underwent a coaching change not just at the top this offseason, but in their whole regime.
When the Magic fired Jamahl Mosley in early May and hired Sean Sweeney, the staff under him also changed. However, there is one familiar face: assistant Joe Prunty.
Prunty is beginning his second season in Orlando, where he came with three decades of NBA experience. He was Mosley’s second-in-command last season and even found himself in an interim head-coaching role multiple times to finish games.
Prunty returning to the sideline will be good for the Magic; here is why:
Experience
As previously mentioned, Prunty has been at this for a long time.
He began his coaching career as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 1996 and was a part of championship-winning teams in 1999, 2003 and 2005. Overall, he has been to the NBA Finals four times.
Prunty also knows what it is like to work with star players. From Tim Duncan to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Prunty has built relationships with some of the game’s best and coached them in the highest-leverage moments.
Familiarity
This is good for Orlando’s core group of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs. Realistically, this franchise will only go as far as those four players take it, and while it will be beneficial to have a new voice in Sean Sweeney leading the way in the huddle, having previously established rapport with Prunty will work well for them.
This is something Sweeney and the organization understand, and it likely played a key role in why Prunty is returning. This is a critical season for not just Banchero, Wagner, Bane and Suggs, but the roster in general, which is largely remaining the same.
Given Orlando’s standing as a first-apron team, it could only make one notable addition to its roster by signing big man Nikola Vucevic. Otherwise, the Magic’s notable loss in free agency was center Moritz Wagner to the Brooklyn Nets.
Therefore, this team knows how to play together; it just needs to do it under Sweeney. Prunty's presence will not only serve to benefit the players, but the Magic’s first-year head coach, too.
In the latest episode of the Full Court Magic podcast, I discussed how the team needs to help Sweeney and set him up for success. Sweeney can do all he can to convey his teachings and messaging to the players, but they need to translate his philosophies and methods into results on the floor.
Prunty can help relay Sweeney’s coaching style to the team through a familiar voice, which could help expedite the process of learning the new system.
