Although he was hired as the Magic‘s new head coach on June 1, Sean Sweeney wasn’t formally introduced to the media until Thursday because he had been serving as the Spurs’ associate head coach in the NBA Finals, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“When we finally did get in front of him, it was a long day and he had a lot going on,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “It was during the playoffs and not only was he able to kind of compartmentalize his work with the Spurs and present well to us, but he really knocked our socks off. In Sean Sweeney, we have somebody who, in our minds, has the potential to be one of the elite coaches in this league.”
Weltman described the Magic’s search process as “rigorous” and “very targeted,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Sweeney, who turned 42 years old earlier this month, was linked to numerous head coaching vacancies this spring after receiving consideration in previous years, but he stressed that Orlando was the right fit for him.
“The Magic were the most thorough and they did the best job of asking questions and asking follow-ups to get to layers underneath the first answer,” Sweeney said, per Reynolds. “Some interviews that I’ve had in the past, I did not get that same level of detail. And given how I am and how I want to coach, that stood out.”
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- Sweeney discussed how seriously he views his job and what he wants the Magic‘s “values” to be on Thursday, Beede adds. “For me, coaching is not a profession. It’s a vocation,” Sweeney said. “And I’m going to work to my highest level to do the best job I can for this franchise. It’s been 21 years of preparation that’s brought me here, and I’m ready for it. And I’m excited to begin. Our team is going to be built on our values. We’re going to value character, we’re going to value competition, we’re going to value connection and we’re going to value the game. I love the game. I’m a competitor. I want to do things with integrity, and I want to make sure we’re connected in how we play.”
- The Wizards are reportedly deciding between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson for the No. 1 overall pick. Josh Robbins and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the two players and how they might fit in Washington. Draft expert Vecenie says he’d personally take Dybantsa first, in no small part because of his ability to put pressure on the rim, which the roster currently lacks. Vecenie also expects the Wizards to select the BYU forward.
- Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis has been linked to the trade rumors involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the 2025 first-round pick said he’s trying not to pay attention to the outside noise, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s part of it,” Jakucionis said. “I really don’t pay too much attention to that because I can’t really control it. So I’m just trying to focus on what I do, on the court, off the court. Try to get better now, focus and now soon I’m going to a national team to play for my country (Lithuania). So that’s the main goal, getting better.”
