Sean Sweeney's biggest challenge starts with building the Orlando Magic's new identity

If there is one thing that has become clear in Sean Sweeney's first rounds through the media is that he is not much of a talker.

The impression he gave during his introductory press conference and some of those early interviews was that he is a no-nonsense type of person. His speech style is very deliberate and intentional. You can feel the weight of his words with every syllable. Everything seems very carefully measured and reasoned.

First-year coaches are often not the most expressive. Learning how to meet with the media is a skill that gets developed with practice. It is not the thing most coaches look forward to most. Not the thing they are focused on most.

Still, this is how Sweeney and any coach will get their message out. These are the parameters they will be judged.

And Sweeney has set to his first task as he sees a team with his vision play for the first time in the Las Vegas Summer League and continues with what is his most substantial face-to-face with his team, assembling for the league's summer convention.

"I think to me the couple big things are establish what our identity is on both sides of the ball and make sure that embodies what our team identity is, how we want to play, who we want to be and the character we want to have as players and coaches," Sweeney said on Thursday's Prime Video broadcast of the Magic's Summer League game. "The big thing for me is love of the game. What we believe will show in what we value, and what we value shows in how we behave. Everything we do leads to and stems back from that."

Sweeney's first task is building the identity and culture. It may end up being similar to what the team had before.

But everything is getting rebuilt. The Magic seem eager to hear a new voice and work with Sweeney and his intense leadership. Everything is fine for now.

It is just starting to get built.

Building an identity

Right now, everything seems to be in generalities.

Of course, Sean Sweeney wants his team to be the most physical team. Of course, the team wants to play with proper spacing and work together to get the best shot. Of course, the team wants to play faster and work efficiently.

The details of how the Magic will play and what this identity will be are yet to be filled in. Those are developing behind closed doors. And while Summer League provides the outlines of what this team wants to do, the team's best players are not yet on the floor in their Magic uniforms.

But Sweeney has made it his priority to establish this identity, whatever it is. It is all that he has talked about when he has spoken to the media.

Everyone assumes that it will center on defense and toughness. He is at least coming into a team with those foundations built from the five years with Jamahl Mosley. The Magic know they can be an elite defensive team.

There are still a lot more things to rebuild.

Many of the team's leaders have spent the offseason calling for accountability. Their early interactions with Sweeney have confirmed that he will be direct and intentional in his time with them.

Time will tell if that results in victories on the court. That is what will ultimately matter.

Eyes on the Playoffs

As Stan Van Gundy pointed out on the Prime Video broadcast of Thursday's Summer League game, Sean Sweeney is not stepping into the situation of a typical first-year coach.

The Orlando Magic are facing a lot of pressure to win and win immediately. They have had playoff experience but not playoff success. They are hungry for a whole lot more.

Sweeney is not starting from scratch. This team has been an elite defensive team before. If that is the identity he wants, they have shown themselves very capable.

But all eyes are on the Playoffs and succeeding in the spring. Their culture needs to be built to be successful in the spring. This is indeed Sweeney's main concern already.

"Who you are and how you play, you talk about things that are important, establishing identity on both sides of the ball and making sure we understand what we value," Sweeney said on the Prime Video broadcast. "That helps carry you. Playoff time, you always talk about adjustments, and what we can do differently, but a lot of times it comes back to how are we supposed to play, who are we supposed to be, can you do it with good ufndamentals, good technique, you build that in the summertime so that way your habits are strong and when you are under pressure you don't fold."

Orlando is not on the court quite yet.

Maybe some of the main roster players will get in a workout together and with the new coaching staff. They are together, after all. Maybe that work will come when the team begins arriving in orlando fro mini-camps in September and pick-up runs throughout the summer.

In either case, the whole team will not be together again until training camp. And this year's training camp with Sweeney will be vital to the team's success. He will be establishing his foundations that will determine the team's future and identity.

That is what he is working on. It is clearly his focus. Even if details are still scant until the season begins.

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