How do we evaluate Rob Hennigan after hiring his second coach?
Rob Hennigan is on his second head coach and the directive is clearly to win. He has set the table and laid a foundation. Now it is time for him to deliver.
The clock is ticking.
It may have begun ticking in February when Rob Hennigan and the Orlando Magic announced they were firing Jacque Vaughn after it became clear the Magic would not accomplish any of the goals they had set out for themselves at the beginning.
The thoughts of being more competitive in Eastern Conference were gone. Orlando was back in the Lottery among the worst teams in the league. This was the first year the Magic put expectations of winning on themselves and the first year with Rob Hennigan where the Magic did not make the expected progress and did not achieve their goals.
In the high-pressure world of the NBA, that is going to get people to start talking.
The directive in hiring the next head coach was to have someone with experience to ensure the team turns the corner. Long-term goals were not forgotten, but they were put on hold to some extent. The Magic clearly want to make the Playoffs now, or at least sooner rather than later.
Should Scott Skiles fail as a coach in getting the Magic there in the next few years, the focus will turn clearly and squarely on Rob Hennigan and his performance on the job.
For all the good Hennigan has done — he has drafted well especially and instilled something that looks like a long-term, sustainable vision rather than bringing in mid-tier free agents that would keep the Magic in the middle of the league — he is still vastly unproven. His major free agent signing that would provide the veteran leadership the team would need to take the next step in Channing Frye did not work out and only served to expose the weaknesses of one of his key players.
And then, of course, he completely whiffed it would seem on his first coach hire when it finally came time for that coach to deliver wins.
So after three years, where is Rob Hennigan? Where are the Magic in the process?
Before going any further, Rob Hennigan is not going anywhere. At least not for the next two years. He recently signed an extension for three years, guaranteeing the next two years for sure before a lame-duck year will require another extension. The Magic were happy enough with his last three years to give him a few more to complete his vision.
In fairness to Hennigan, he has not had the gumption or maybe even the opportunity to take any big move. In the depths of a rebuild, the Magic are not exactly an attractive team for free agents. In all likelihood, the Magic had to overpay a guy like Channing Frye just to get him in Orlando. That signing did not seem to work out.
The building blocks for a team are still getting put into place. It may not have gotten the Magic a premiere coach, but Scott Skiles is pretty accomplished and he sees something he can mold in this team.
“Obviously when you don’t have your hands on the players yet, you don’t really know, but from afar I like what Rob has done,” Scott Skiles said during his introductory press conference. “When you elect to go this route of sort of retooling and getting guys through the draft, it can be difficult, but also very exciting.
“Probably our major weakness is that we are inexperienced, young, but that should also be our strength. There comes a point where in just the day-to-day communication witht eh guys that can’t be an excuse anymore. It should be turned into a strenght. You have to be playing with energy all the time. And I think we will.”
So, again, it is hard to judge Hennigan on much of anything quite yet. His team is simply too young to attract big-name free agents yet. Everyone is waiting to see how this group of promising young talent all come together.
There are very few who do not see the potential Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton have in the backcourt. Nikola Vucevic is a strong rebounder and offensive player, securing the center spot. Tobias Harris is a young and gifted scorer. Aaron Gordon is a bundle of potential, particularly on the defensive end.
Talent exists there.
To bring it all together, Rob Hennigan has turned to Scott Skiles. And his future very much rides on it.
As noted, the Magic are going to start expecting wins as an end goal rather than the amorphous and ambiguous “improvement.” Improvement now comes with results on the floor and the win-loss column.
Hennigan has done a good job collecting young talent. But now he needs to show how he can put everything together and build a winning team while still maintaining a bright future.
Skiles will surely do his part. He has the track record of pushing teams above and beyond their station, getting them into the Playoffs. That is the next important step for this Magic team.
Hennigan still has some management to go. He has to handle the Tobias Harris free agency well so as not to tie up too much of the Magic’s cap flexibility. He has to prove himself still as a free agent negotiator to bring the team to the next level.
His failure to do that will mean Skiles cannot accomplish what he is looking to accomplish. And ultimately that could mean Hennigan’s time will run out.
He has collected the talent. He has laid the foundation. He has hired a coach to take them to the next level. All the good intentions in the world will not matter if his teams cannot deliver.
With the focus now on winning, Rob Hennigan’s clock is ticking pretty loudly.