ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a press conference that was sprinkled with jokes, old war stories and excitement.
But at the heart of it, a guy who understands what’s at-stake.
“When I was with the Nets, Kevin Garnett talked about it’s a results league and it’s a process business. I think for us, nobody is going to have higher expectations for us than us in our building,” said new Magic head coach Sean Sweeney. “I know what the expectation is and I’m excited to be here.
The Magic haven’t been past the second of the NBA Playoffs in 16 years, Sweeney is fresh helping coach the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals…
So he knows how to deal with pressure and says it’s a privilege.
“I think any pressure you get is earned because whenever you feel pressure you did something to earn that privilege,” he explains. “So, it’s our job to execute at the level we can and help those guys be the best they can.”
Sweeney has been an assistant in the NBA since 2013 and has coached super-stars such as Spurs’ Victor Wembayama, Laker’s Luke Doncic and Buck’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and basketball Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.
It was the rookie head coach’s knowledge of the game that set him apart from other coaching candidates for Magic’s president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman.
“Coach Sweeney is really young, and he hasn’t been in this seat before but I think he has a lifetime of experience and when you meet with him one of the things is he has not had much of a life. He’s so well versed, he’s so in command of the material that you can’t do that without intense preparation,” said Weltman.