ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Magic coach Sean Sweeney said the work to build a championship contender began before training camp, with consistent conversations throughout the summer about the team’s identity and approach.
“We really, as a group, did a great job of making sure that we tapped in with each other, that we talked openly and honestly about what we wanted to be, who we want to be, how we want to do it, and making sure that, throughout the summer, we were on the same page,” Sweeney said.
Those conversations happened “daily, weekly, monthly” and remained consistent, Sweeney said.
He said part of his approach as a coach is making sure he listens as much as he talks.
“We wanted to do a great job of making sure that we knew what we were all about,” Sweeney said. “For me, as a coach, I really want to do a great job of not only talking but listening. I think our staff has done a great job of that as well. We want to embody what we want from the team.”
A week into training camp, players have described Sweeney’s coaching style as intense and detail-oriented.
Magic forward Nikola Vucevic said Sweeney has also shown a sarcastic side.
“He’s pretty sarcastic, which I’m a fan of,” Vucevic said. “A lot of dry humor, which is good.”
Vucevic said he has appreciated Sweeney’s and the rest of the coaching staff’s work.
“He’s been very direct in his conversation,” Vucevic said. “He’s been good, really good. I’ve liked a lot of stuff that he’s been doing, his whole staff as a whole. But yeah, just think his communication is really, really good. I think that’s very important.”
Sweeney said he wants to be an all-around coach, both on the court and in the Orlando community.
He pointed to Orlando barber John Lopez, the owner of Roca Promotion, when asked what makes a good haircut.
“Whatever my man John Lopez does here in Orlando, that’s what goes into a good haircut,” Sweeney said. “My man is phenomenal.”
Sweeney also mentioned Lopez’s son, Geo, an Orlando boxer who Sweeney said is fighting in Tucson, Ariz.
He said he sees similarities between basketball and boxing and wants his team to reflect the qualities of a strong boxer: fundamentals, determination and self-belief that cannot be broken.
The Magic will get their first chance to put Sweeney’s concepts to work against another team on Wednesday, when the team plays its first preseason game leading into the upcoming season. The game against the Grizzlies in Memphis will tip off at 8 p.m.
Fans will be able to get their first look on television Sunday, when the Magic travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers at 6:30 p.m.